Deal with the Devil
by Hermiione Longbottom
Summary: So close. They had been so close to curing Motherboard when Hacker turned the tables and offered a deal that would cost them more than they had ever thought. Is this a battle the Cybersquad can win? Read to find out. MattxJackie and InezxSlider. DigitxGlowla.
1. Chapter 1

_Hello. I'm not sure if working with a betareader is working out too great for me so I'll learn as I go, I suppose. Maybe it's better given my schedule and all. But anyway, this is a Cyberchase fanfic and the gang is like four years older in this. So Matt and Jackie are 16, Inez is 15. You know before I had decided to give hints of all possible pairings, but seeing how underrated my pairing of Matt x Jackie is, I'm going to go with that with a side of Inez x Slider. I'm not sure about Digit yet but if anyone has a pairing for him, go ahead and suggest it._

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Bargain**

So close! They'd been _so close_ to getting the Encryptor Chip and healing Motherboard permanently. Victory had been right on their fingertips.

But Hacker just _had_ to get in their way…again…

The villain held the Encryptor Chip in his hands and laughed mockingly.

"Give it back!" Inez cried, clenching her fists as Matt and Jackie stood beside her. All three glared at Hacker, who simply laughed more.

"Ah, the sweet scent of opportunity! _I'll_ return this to _you_ for something in exchange!" he told them, pretending to survey the back of his hand. Matt, Jackie and Inez all exchanged glances and Digit let out a nervous gulp. _This wasn't good._ Was Hacker going to demand giving up Inez or another one of their team members again? Or was he going to ask for all their lives? Neither of the four knew but they knew if Hacker was asking for something, it couldn't be good.

" _Us_? What can _we_ give _you_?" Jackie queried suspiciously, frowning. She had a sinking feeling about this and it was proven right when the Borg lifted a large, green finger and pointed at Digit.

"Give me that turkey, and I'll hand over the Encryptor Chip! Consider your options _carefully_ , Earth brats: your turkey friend…in exchange for Motherboard's Cure-All!"

Matt moved protectively in front of his surprised cyboid friend, extending his arms to his sides to make himself an effective shield between Digit and Hacker. He had always been the closest to the little cyboid due to them naturally sticking together. He cared too much about him to allow this to happen. Inez moved besides Matt, taking one hand of his while Jackie took the other and both girls extended their free arm to the side to make themselves into living shields for their friend.

"No way, Hacker! We'll find another way!" Matt championed. He knew they were blowing a big chance to help Motherboard, but they couldn't just sacrifice Digit! He was their friend!

Which is why it surprised the Earthlies so when the 'guest of honor' spoke up. "I'll do it."

The Cybersquad did a double-take.

"Digit, you _can't_!" Inez cried desperately. Her heart was slowly cracking as if someone had taken a large sword and stuck it inside her. This was a worse pain than the pain that was gained from a battle wound. A lone tear cascaded down the young girl's cheek. This was not good. This was not good at all. This could not be happening…their victory would mean nothing if it was this half-hearted.

"Come on, Dige! We'll figure something out! We always do! Hacker _can't_ have his way like this!" Matt proclaimed heatedly. He couldn't allow Digit to go back to Hacker, just for the Encryptor Chip, no matter how important it was. Heck, they were the Cybersquad for a _reason_! They had always done things together, always gotten through the worst kind of situations even when things were looking impossible, surely there had to be another way to do this without sacrificing someone so dear to them. They had won in Radopolis without having to sacrifice Inez and had saved Jackie from Mount Way Up There with the help of the Parallinis when things looked impossible so they could get through this as well.

"Have faith in us, Digit! We'll get that Encryptor Chip _without_ a surrender, you'll see!" Jackie supported. They had always managed to do things this way before and they were so close, so she didn't want Motherboard not to be healed but at the same time, sacrificing her friend was not an option either. Cyberspace would not be the same without Digit and neither would Motherboard.

"They're right, Digit," Motherboard stuttered, weak due to the effects of the virus but at the same time, Digit meant a lot to her.

Digit sighed heavily, looking down at his feet. "I know you kids are really smart and all, but the truth is, we don't have enough _time_ to come up with another plan. The virus has put Motherboard through more than enough, and this is a chance we might not get again." He offered a small, sad smile. "Don't worry. I'll never forget you guys or Motherboard, but I have to do this. Please...don't try to stop me. Think of it as my last request." He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to leave his little safe haven of his friends and Motherboard to be at Hacker's mercy but he had no choice. If Hacker was using him as the bargaining chip, then he'd do whatever it took to help his team succeed even if it meant sacrificing himself. For Motherboard, it was worth it.

"Digit...d-d-don't...—!" Motherboard attempted to say, her glitches starting up again. Digit simply looked away, unable to see her like this. When her glitches started up, it only furthered his resolve that his sacrifice really was the only way to help her even if it hurt him.

Matt clenched his fists, shutting his eyes tightly. How could he accept this? This wasn't fair! Digit did not deserve such a horrible fate. He knew the other had worked for the Hacker before but surely Hacker was planning revenge for Digit leaving him. Leaving his precious friend to such a horrible fate made him want to hit something. Was there really no other choice? It certainly seemed that Digit's words held weight in them. They had gotten out of tight situations before. If they could save Inez from being on Team Hacker, then why couldn't they stop this? What good were they?

Tears welled in Inez's eyes. She so desperately wanted to cry even though that wasn't like her. They couldn't lose like this even if they were gaining Motherboard's Cure-All, it wouldn't seem like a victory at all if they had to pay such a high price. She pulled Digit close, tears beginning to cascade down her cheeks as her entire body shook. She wanted to take him back to Earth with them and never return to Cyberspace where his life was at risk but knew she couldn't do that.

Jackie just looked down at the floor with a desperate, sorrowful expression on her face. This could _not_ be happening. This was some bad, bizarre dream and she'd wake up any minute and be laughing about it with her friends. She pinched herself in the cheek and winced. The dark-skinned girl bit her lower lip. This was no dream. This was reality crushing down on their very existence. A reality that might in the end destroy them all. Including Motherboard considering how close she was to Digit. And for god's sake, where was Dr. Marbles right about now? He should be the one to cure Motherboard but no one had heard from him in months.

Finally, Matt opened his eyes, certain to be glowering at the villain. Inez wanted to scream for her friend to stop, but Digit touched her arm and shook his head. This caused more tears to fall from the Latino's eyes as she looked at Matt pleadingly not to say anything but he wasn't looking at her.

"It's a deal," the redhead forced himself to spit, unable to believe he was accepting. It was the last thing Matt wanted to do. If he could, he'd take his friend somewhere far away from Hacker where not even the Borg's shadow could reach them.

Hacker, silencing his innocent whistling, smirked evilly and moved forward to grab the cyboid, but at the last minute the winged creature seemed to panic, clutching closer to Inez who was still holding him. "Wait!" The Borg stopped and raised an eyebrow. Had the fool changed his mind?

"Can I have a few minutes? Please? I mean, I'm never gonna see 'em again! I have a right to say goodbye, don't I?" Digit pleaded, his voice slightly shaky. Tears prickled down his own cheeks that made Inez hold back tears, trying to give him some courage knowing if she cried any more, it'd make things harder for him.

Hacker cackled briefly. "Fine! You have two minutes. Buzz, Delete, make sure they don't try to double-cross me!" With that, the green villain went outside, and his two henchmen stepped back a bit to allow the group of friends some privacy. Delete sniffled, unable to help but feel somewhat sorry for Digit. Inez hesitantly let him go and he jumped down, turning to face his friends, well-aware that he may be seeing them for the last time.

The bird cyborg opened his inner compartment, taking out Widget and handing him to Matt.

"Take care of the little guy for me. The Hacker can get pretty nasty, and I don't want him getting hurt. Plus, Widge looks just like me, which'll help you guys not miss me as much…" Digit said, ignoring both how his voice broke at the last part and Widget's protests against the decision. Widget was jumping up and down in protest. He clearly did not agree with this.

Matt took Widget before dropping down to his knees and hugging Digit, Inez and Jackie soon joining him, all crying despite their best efforts. Buzz and Delete, observing the scene, began tearing up themselves.

"It's so sad DeeDee" Buzz wailed throwing his arms awkwardly around Delete.

"I know Buzzy" Delete wiped a tear.

"We'll miss you, Digit. Nobody can ever replace you. Here," Inez said, reaching into her pocket and taking out a whistle necklace, which she draped around Digit's neck. At his confused look, she explained, "Do you remember the time we were entering that dark, scary cave, and since you couldn't, the rest of us whistled for you so you wouldn't be afraid?" He nodded. "You can think of us while you use it whenever you feel frightened." Inez gave a small smile, but couldn't help it when another tear rolled down her cheek as she looked away. She couldn't cry again as it might make Digit lose the courage he had gained to do this for Motherboard.

Hacker's jolly voice came through the door. "Only thirty seconds left!" It made the Cybersquad want to teach him a lesson although they couldn't because the ball was in his court for once.

Ignoring his own helplessness, Matt quickly took out the yoyo he always played with and gave it to Digit.

"To make sure you don't forget me," he tried to joke, though the sadness in his eyes clearly showed he was breaking inside. He knew Digit would never forget him. He just wanted to give some encouragement to the cyboid that was pretty much his best friend. He could tell Digit was scared even if he wasn't showing it.

Jackie pressed into her friend's wing a picture of the four of them.

"Keep this safe, Digit. No matter what happens with Hacker, never give up hope. Use our friendship to remember what an amazing friend you were." Tears rolled down her cheeks as she hugged Digit. The cyboid embraced all of them one last time. They held him as close as they could, not wanting to let him go. Matt whispered encouraging words in his ear to try and keep him thinking positive.

At last, their two minutes were up.

Once inside, Hacker handed Matt the Encryptor Chip, grabbed Digit, and strode triumphantly toward the exit. Inez tried to run after them, but Matt stopped her and held her when her sobs became more insistent. Inez clutched tightly onto her friend, soaking his green shirt in tears. Matt felt his own eyes become teary at that but he tried to comfort her with little courage he had left. Jackie, on her knees on the floor, was in much the same state. Would they ever see Digit again…? Matt and Inez reached out for simultaneously and she clung to them, sobbing as Matt rubbed her back rhythmically trying to calm her down.

When the three had mostly composed themselves, Matt pulled away from Inez and Jackie to insert the Encryptor Chip in Motherboard. The screen fizzled out, then back in minutes later, and Motherboard reappeared.

"Motherboard, how do you feel?" Inez asked, wiping the tears from her eyes and cheeks, trying to give the woman she considered a second mother a warm smile despite being broken inside herself.

"Better than I've felt in _years_! Thank you, Cybermates!" the computer-woman said with a minute smile. Matt sighed, but managed a like response, trying to force himself to be happy that they had gotten some victory even if it didn't feel like one.

"Don't thank us, Motherboard. Digit was the one who paid the biggest price..." He peered over at a sad-looking Widget, who was searching for his partner. It wasn't right seeing one without the other just like it wasn't right seeing the Cybersquad without their fourth member. They felt incomplete somehow. All of them and now they might always be.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you so much everybody for the amazing reviews you've all given me and it really tells me I'm doing something right if I'm getting the feel of the show down. Okay so watching Digit's B-Day Surprise and watching Hacker trying to manipulate poor Digit inspired me to write this second chapter. It'll contain both the kids point of view and Digit's as well. I wasn't sure how to fit Slider's POV in this so its just the kids' and Digit._

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Pain of Separation**

Digit gripped the bars of his cage as the Reaper flew and knew his life was changing forever. He saw Buzz and Delete sending him odd looks and guessed they were probably taunting him for having lost the battle. No, he hadn't lost the battle. Motherboard was probably cured by now and that was what he had wanted right? But at the same time, a part of him still wished the Earthlies would come and bust him out like they always did. He winced as the Reaper came to a crash landing so fast that he was sent flying out of the cage and crashing it into the wall.

"You thought you could keep running from me after your betrayal, you Cyberturkey didn't you?" Hacker chuckled, looking down on him causing Digit to shiver a little. He felt small right now and he didn't like feeling so small. He gripped Inez's whistle in his wing, trying to give himself some strength but knew if he blew into it right now, Hacker might take it away. He tried to say something, make some sort of excuse but had lost the ability to speak. He just silently bowed his head, not wanting to see how Hacker would extract his revenge. He had thought of many things, like maybe Hacker would rearrange his systems so he wouldn't remember the Earthlies anymore or do something to torture him day and night but what he hadn't expected was a large spiked club to come down on his head sending him crashing against the wall.

 _O-okay…I didn't know a cyboid like me could bleed…_ He felt the purple liquid on the back of his head that made his vision spin and clutched the photo that Jackie had given him. When the Earthlies were with him, he had so much confidence. He could stand up to Hacker without fearing the consequences but now they weren't here. He closed his eyes, the pain cutting through him like knives as he coughed. He weakly blew into the whistle and Hacker just laughed at his pain. Things were becoming blurrier by the minute.

" _Hang in there, Dige! We're always with you."_ Matt's voice echoed in his head and he felt like someone was grabbing his wing. Digit's eyes watered. Yeah, that's exactly what Matt would say. But right now, he couldn't even see his best friend's yoyo through his blurred vision, forget anything else. He tried to blow into the whistle again.

" _Blow it, Dige. We're always with you. Just close your eyes,"_ Inez's voice was soothing through the blood pounding through his circuits. Was it really okay to just pass out? Inez seemed to think so and she was one of the smartest Earthlies he had ever met. Maybe he should pass out, he was running out of energy…

" _It's okay to pass out, Dige. You need to recover. You will see us again. One day. But until then, close your eyes and think of us. Think of every moment we've spent together."_ Jackie sounded so confident that they'd meet again but he wasn't so sure. Even so, as long as Motherboard and Cyberspace were safe, he would try and accept this life. No matter how hard it was…

* * *

"Motherboard, can we return home?" Matt said as he looked around at all the celebrations going on in Radapolis for Motherboard being cured of the virus. To be honest, he really didn't feel like celebrating and he had a feeling Inez was only pretending to be happy for everyone else's sake as well. And he had no idea where Jackie was. She seemed to have strolled off somewhere. Typical. She had a different way to dealing with her pain than her or Inez.

"Of course, Matt," Motherboard said softly. "The party is almost over. I understand how you're feeling but just hang in there for a few more minutes." Her own eyes almost watered and Matt cringed, feeling awful that he had hurt Motherboard and forced a smile on his face.

"Of course, Motherboard," Matt said, forcing his voice to remain cheerful for her sake. He turned his head to see Inez passing Slider a piece of chocolate cake.

"Here, Sly," Inez said and Matt could tell her smile was just as forced as his own and he felt they were both being unfair somewhat since this was such a big deal for all of Cyberspace but at least they were pretending to be happy, unlike Jackie who wasn't even bothering to pretend.

"Thanks Nezzie," Slider replied.

"You okay, Inez?" Matt said going over to her and their eyes met and Inez looked away.

"I'm fine," Inez said not meeting Matt's eyes as she replied to him only because she knew she couldn't be honest. Because being honest meant crying her eyes out again because Digit of all the cyboids should have a right to partake in Motherboard being cured but he wasn't here because he had paid the ultimate sacrifice to have her cured. She looked up suddenly. "Where's Jackie?"

"I'm not sure," Matt admitted. "I saw her wandering off but I thought she'd be back in a bit."

"I can go look for her," Slider offered. "She should be here too, after all."

Matt raised an eyebrow. Slider seemed to care a lot for Jackie at times and he didn't know but that made him uneasy. Besides, Slider didn't really understand their bond with Digit so he couldn't really relate. "You stay here with Inez and make sure she's alright. I'll go see how Jackie is." In all honesty, he wanted to take Inez with him but if they all walked away from the party, Motherboard would be hurt and despite everything, he held no ill feelings towards her. None of this was her fault. She hadn't wanted this party either but Cyberspace just didn't care as much for Digit as they did for Motherboard.

"Alright," Slider agreed. "Nezzie needs someone with her too, after all. I can understand how it feels losing someone close to you."

Inez hung her head. "Y-yeah…we're trying to stay strong but…"

Matt hugged Inez close. "Hang in there, Nezzie. I'm here for you. So is Jackie…once I can find her."

Inez leaned close to him, allowing a few tears to escape before managing a smile. "I'm alright, Matt. You know how Jackie is with feelings though so make sure she knows we're there for her too okay?"

Matt squeezed her gently and nodded. "Yeah, of course." He let her go and looked at Slider. "Make sure Inez is ok alright? I'll be right back." He waited for Slider to nod before heading off to find Jackie. At first, he couldn't find any signs of her until he heard the sounds of soft sobbing and followed it to find Jackie sitting on a small rock, head in her hands and sobbing. Matt's heart ached seeing her like that and felt a twinge of guilt. He had promised himself he'd push his own pain aside to be there for the girls and Motherboard but he wasn't faring so well with that considering he hadn't noticed that Jackie hadn't come back. However, he needed to get moving so he moved to sit beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey," Matt said softly causing Jackie to look up and wipe her eyes.

"H-hey," Jackie managed to stammer out. "How's the party?"

Matt shrugged. "Incomplete. Inez and I are trying to be happy for Motherboard's sake but that's easier said than done."

Jackie felt a few more tears escape her. "At least you can pretend but Matt I don't know how. I know we've always wanted Motherboard to be cured but not at this cost. I-it's not fair. Digit he…" She broke down into tears again and Matt tried to pull her into a hug. She resisted at first but then allowed him to pull her close, clutching onto him. Matt didn't know what to say. He wasn't the best with words and sometimes tended to run his mouth, not to mention nothing he said would bring Digit back. Digit was gone, with Hacker and who knows in what condition right now but at least he wanted Jackie to know she wasn't alone.

"It isn't fair," Matt agreed softly. "It doesn't feel like a victory. But Jacks, Motherboard isn't happy either about this. For her sake, let's hang on a little longer ok? I know it's asking a lot but…" He held her closer to his own body trying to bring her some comfort. "You're not alone. I…I mean Nezzie and I are here for you too." Why had he almost said I? It felt right holding Jackie like this, as if she was meant to be there…odd, he didn't understand what this feeling was but it wasn't a bad one.

Jackie sniffled, trying to smile. "You're right, Matt…okay, I'll try." She didn't try to pull away. Even if being close to Matt didn't take away the pain of losing Digit, it did feel nice that she wasn't alone and had someone to share the pain with. Even if she was used to coping with pain herself, sharing it with Matt made her own burden less. She just hoped it would be enough.

* * *

Inez sat there with Slider wondering what was taking Matt and Jackie so long and hoped her friends were alright.

"You ok Nezzie?" Slider asked her and Inez managed a small smile.

"Don't worry about me, Slider," Inez assured him. "I'll get a hold of myself." _Somehow…_ she added silently in her head, not wanting to worry the Cyborg.

Slider touched her shoulder gently. "You don't have to hide how you feel, Inez. I can understand exactly how you feel. I know what it's like to lose someone precious to you."

Inez shifted a little, knowing Slider had a very good point, considering he had experienced similar feelings when he had lost his father because of Hacker. Maybe she could talk to him about it well at least a little bit. "So how did you cope? I don't know how to keep myself from just breaking down and crying but I'm…I'm trying to be strong for Motherboard. She's so close to Digit but she's trying to be happy for Cyberspace because she can be there for them fully now that she's cured of the virus."

Slider didn't respond for a few moments and just when Inez thought he wasn't going to reply, he spoke up softly. "I kept telling myself I'd see my Dad again one day. That even though hope was slim, it was still there. Even though things looked bleak especially after we saved Motherboard and I could no longer track the location for my Dad. But Inez, you've been in tough situations too. Remember when the entire Sensible Flats was Hackerised? You didn't give up then…" He looked up, taking her hand and smiling at her. "And all the odds were stacked against you back then too. I know things seem hard now but you'll get through it and you'll see Digit again. Believe in that."

Inez looked into Slider's eyes, doubt flickering in the back of her mind but somehow his words were giving her confidence. It may not happen now but somehow things would work out. They would find some other loophole in Hacker's plan and get Digit back, safe and sound. The 'how' part was just unclear right now… "Thanks Slider. I really hope you're right. It just isn't the same being without Digit."

"No kidding," Matt said as he came back with Jackie. "But this party's almost over so we can head home after that…"

"That sounds like a good idea," Jackie agreed. "I don't know how much more I can take being here."

"Oh Jacks," Sympathy welled in her heart for her best and Inez pulled the girl into a hug, Matt soon joining them. It didn't take the emptiness away though…Digit should be a part of this hug too but they all knew that wasn't possible anymore at least not right now.

Jackie buried her head in Inez's shoulder. "Sorry for leaving you here…"

Inez pulled away with a soft smile. "No problem. You know, things are hard now but they've been hard before guys. I know it doesn't seem like it, but let's not stop believing." She glanced at Slider. "We'll work it out eventually right?" Matt and Jackie looked over at Slider who smiled at them.

"Of course," Slider said before grabbing a paper and writing down a number on it. "If you're going back to the real world, here's my code. We can keep in touch through e-mail or letters."

Inez took the paper. "Thanks Slider. I think that sounds good. Motherboard, could we please return home now?"

Motherboard smiled. "Of course, Cybersquad. Thank you for staying for this party. I know it wasn't easy for you."

Matt shook his head. "No, Motherboard. We're always here for you."

"You…you can still always call us whenever you need us," Jackie managed to add, although she didn't sound as enthusiastic about it as she usually did and both Matt and Inez squeezed her hand in assurance.

"Take care," were Motherboard's final words before the portal appeared and Matt, Jackie and Inez were sucked into it.


	3. Chapter 3

_It is amazing to have people enjoying this so much and I hope you continue to enjoy this story no matter how dark it is, I try to keep the feel of the show as well, at least in terms of characterization. I hope I'm doing a good job. Thanks to **WhiteEevee** for betareading this chapter for me._

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Delete Takes A Stand**

Slider pulled at the bars of his cage. He had tried sending one last letter to Inez, but he couldn't, as things were slowly falling to pieces. Where were the Cybersquad? It had been three years since Motherboard had been cured and that party had been held in her honour. Since then, Slider had kept in touch with Inez for awhile, but in the last three months, any time he made an attempt to communicate with her, it seemed like his messages were blocked. He didn't know if it was Hacker that had done something, or whether life without Digit was just too painful for Matt, Jackie, and Inez.

It had all been a trick. Hacker had finally succeeded in shutting down Motherboard by using a clone of Dr. Marbles and taken over Cyberspace. The last three years had become a living hell for the citizens of Cyberspace. Those who openly opposed The Hacker were locked up as his prisoners, and those who didn't object followed every order of his without questioning it. As Inez would say, "this was not good," which was putting it mildly. Slider was getting worse and worse each and every minute. Being trapped in the dungeons with a number of rebellion prisoners was not a sign that things were going to improve either.

The rebellious prisoners consisted of Slider himself, Creech, Jules, TW the tilting Parallini, Shari Spotter, Dody, Stumblesnore, and Ollie. Most of these prisoners were beaten and unconscious, or their systems were paralysed. The only ones able at the moment were himself, Creech. and Shari. Things were not good at all. In fact, they were getting worse and worse by the minute. Watching Hacker beat on Digit, Buzz, and Delete made Slider feel nauseous and he wished he could just break out of this cage and do something.

"Slider," Creech came over to him. "Did you manage to get a hold of Inez?"

Slider shook his head. "Hacker cut off all communication from the real world, there's not much I can do. I can't even reach Nezzie at all."

Shari frowned a little. "It isn't like Matthew and his friends to abandon us like this."

"They didn't abandon us, Shari," Creech said softly, looking down. "They made the biggest sacrifice to save Motherboard, but it just wasn't enough. They're still making sacrifices when they don't even know that their sacrifice has gone to waste."

Slider frowned at that. "Yeah, Hacker might have put some sort of block on the portals too after he shut down Motherboard. I mean, before that I could at least communicate with Nezzie and knew she was okay."

"Boss, stop it!" Delete's voice echoed through the dungeons and the Borg looked close to tears. Slider's eyes widened as he saw Digit being thrown down to the ground. He grimaced. He did not want to witness another episode of torture. Creech gripped his arm and Shari averted her gaze from the grimacing sight.

"Hang in there, Digit," Slider whispered, even though he knew he wouldn't be able to hear him right now. Inez would not stand for this if she were here, and right now, he wished she was. He gripped the bars as if willing them to break, but knew they wouldn't.

The cruel beating was painful to watch. The evil Borg repeatedly struck Digit with a spiked club. Feathers and mechanical parts flew with each hit and blood streamed from the wounds that were already made. Digit cried out in pain every time, and when he tried to get away, Hacker upped the torture.. Slider gritted his teeth and looked away, unable to watch. He was a coward, he knew that much, but he also knew that if he tried to help Digit without any form of a backup plan, he'd be beaten, and might end up worse than Digit. He needed to stay in one piece if he was ever going to find his father again, who had once more been lost in all the chaos.

Slider knew he was selfish—or maybe he had too much self-preservation—but there wasn't much he could do. If he ended up being shut down, there were so many things he might never get to do. He would never get to find his father again. He would never get to tell Inez how much he had come to like her, if he ever saw her again. But then again, if Motherboard was gone and the Cybersquad was no longer there for them, was there a point in worrying about these petty things? Maybe he should take a stand. While he was still thinking, Delete had clearly decided he'd had enough.

Delete felt his patience wearing thin with each beating he was forced to watch (Hacker had taken a sick delight in seeing the two cringe and squirm in observing their friend's pain). He couldn't _stand_ seeing Digit get hurt! He may have helped Hacker in putting him in a cage once before and even trapping him, but the Cyboid was so loyal that he had found a friend worth caring about in him. He had become almost as close to him as he was to Buzz. This was more than enough. His good heart was finally winning out against his loyalty to Hacker, it seemed. His inner gears flared up, and all at once he charged forward, pushing Digit out of the way and taking the harsh blow himself. The blow stung, and he could feel a scar beginning to form, but he managed not to cry out from the excruciating pain. He needed to be strong right now. He wasn't a hero, he knew, but maybe he could get Digit to those who _were_ heroes.

Buzz gasped in shock. "Dee-Dee, what are you doing?!" he demanded in a trembling voice.

Digit was also staring at his friend, wide-eyed. Not only that, but he was more concerned about Delete's safety than his own. He had grown numb to the beatings Hacker dealt him, after all. He wished the Earthlies would appear through a Cyberportal and defend him and Delete right now.

"D-don't...! He'll h-hurt you, t-too…!" Digit tried to warn, though the bruises on his throat made it difficult.

"Delete, be careful," Slider said, concern welling inside him for the bravery of the creature.

"Hang in there!" Creech called out, trying to be supportive as well, even though she cringed back a little as she saw anger flicker in Hacker's eyes.

Delete ignored his friends as well as Slider and Creech. He turned to glare at Hacker. He didn't care about the painful mark the horrible Borg had made, even though the pain it caused was almost unbearable; he knew it was nothing compared to what Digit was feeling.

"You're a monster, you know that?" he growled. "If the Cybersquad Earthlies ever found out what you've done to their friend, they'd spare you no mercy!"

Digit couldn't help but wince at the mention of his friends, though it did bring a bit of hopeful light back to his eyes. Those kids wouldn't let this go on a second longer!

"I won't let you hurt Digit anymore!"

Hacker simply laughed, a leering smirk on his face. "You _duncebucket_! Do you honestly think you can defeat _The_ _Hacker_?"

Delete stood his ground. "I think I'll try my luck! After all, it's not strength or size that makes someone strong. _The Hacker_ has been outsmarted by three little kids loads of times, and they're _half_ his size! I'm getting Digit out of here, and you're not stopping me!"

Creech and Shari both gasped at this, while Slider simply stared at the nerve of the Cyborg who had been quite a loyal follower of Hacker up until now. He was showing more bravery than any of them had, as friends and allies of Motherboard. He clenched his fist. _If Delete can be brave enough not to worry about the consequences, so can I._ His eyes flickered with a passionate fire. "That's right. Matt, Inez, Jackie, and Digit have outsmarted you many times. You can do it, Delete. We've got your back."

Hacker scowled at the reminder and sent an energy blast towards Slider, sending him stumbling back to the ground. Slider coughed, grimacing in pain. That was a recent power Hacker had acquired and was using to his advantage. Slider wasn't letting this get him down. For the sake of Cyberspace, he needed to hang in there. Creech and Shari knelt by his side.

"Slider," Shari breathed. "Are you alright?"

"I think so," said Slider. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

Digit looked at them and then back at Delete, who still held a defensive stance in front of him. It reminded him of the times the Earthlies protected him, only this time he knew Delete was probably making things worse. He wasn't protected anymore, and Delete, like himself, needed to accept that this was his fate no matter how much he wished to be safe with the Earthlies again.

"They may have beaten me any times, but I won the war," Hacker said coldly, looking at Delete. "I took away their precious 'friend,' after all, so in the end, I outsmarted them."

Digit flinched at that. Hacker had a point, but he hadn't outsmarted the Earthlies. They had surrendered; he had surrendered for the well-being of Cyberspace. He was surprised but grateful, even more when Delete defended the Earthlies for him. But he also felt guilty. He should be taking a stand for his precious friends, not Delete.

"Cheating isn't the same as outsmarting!" Delete cried, glowering at his 'beloved' Boss.

Without further ado, the tall robot bent down and gently gathered Digit in his arms. Their eyes met as he walked over to Buzz. Digit looked up at him, a tiny flicker of hope in his eyes, but he looked back down. It was too big of a risk to feel that hope… If it came crashing down again, he would be shattered.

"I'll be back for you, Buzzy," Delete said as he passed, "but I can't watch him hurt Digit anymore. I don't know whether this is brave or stupid, but this time I'm following my heart."

Buzz frowned at this, unsure of what to say. He didn't want to lose Delete, but he also knew his friend was absolutely right. He, too, felt this had gone on long enough, but he didn't have enough courage to take a stand, even though Digit was definitely a friend worth fighting for.

Hacker, for his part, was gaping at his minion in disbelief, and Delete used this to his advantage. Making a long jump for the supercomputer, the robot hastily pushed a button that locked the mad-Borg in a glass prison. The villain's eyes widened in shock, and he pounded on the glass furiously.

"You despicable duncebucket! You'll pay for this! Let me out of here, or I'll do worse to you than I did to that birdbrain!" Hacker screamed, anger and hate burning through his words. Delete would get a worse beating than Digit had ever gotten from him in the last four years. How dare he double-cross him?

In Delete's arms, Digit breathed slowly and raggedly. He was worried for the former lackey's safety as well as everyone else's. But he didn't dare say a word. He hated to admit it, but he wanted to escape, _had_ wanted it for a long time. Besides, once he was back with his Earthlies—the thought made his heart surge—they wouldn't hesitate to help Buzz and Delete. He knew once they knew all that Buzz and Delete had done for him in these three years, they'd put their heart and soul into helping them as well as him.

"Digit, how did Motherboard activate the portal to the human world?" Delete asked his injured friend softly, hoping the answer would be short so the poor guy wouldn't have to say much. He was getting Digit out of here no matter what it took.

"Third b-utton…to le-eft…top r-ow," the cyboid managed. Following these directions, Delete found the button and pressed it, happily relieved when a portal appeared. Digit's eyes watered a little, and he wondered if this was really happening or if this was some hopeful dream he was seeing.

Delete turned to Buzz as an afterthought. "Wait five minutes to release our _beloved boss_ from his cage. The drop-off shouldn't take that long, but take it as a precaution."

Buzz nodded, still in shock from all that had occurred.

Without another moment to lose, Delete jumped into the portal, yelping at how fast it was, and instinctively tightening his grip on Digit. Finally, the portal deposited them on the outskirts of a farm.

* * *

Buzz couldn't help it, he was afraid. He was scared that Delete had taken such a huge stand for Digit. Even though he knew it was necessary, he wanted his friend to leave Digit with his Earthlies and come back to ask the boss for forgiveness. He bit his lower lip before hurrying over to the cage with the other Cyborgs and pressing in a few codes.

"Get out of here," Buzz said, shifting. "You need to help the Earthlies when they come back. Delete's gonna come back, and we'll all be enemies again so leave while you can."

Slider raised his eyebrows. "So you're going to abandon Digit when they come back? I don't think he'll like that."

Buzz didn't respond for a second before turning away. "Our job is just to get Digit back where he belongs because he can't survive this place any longer. Now go!"

Shari and Creech helped Slider stand, but Shari frowned.

"We can't go on our own though. Our friends are either paralysed or unconscious," Shari said, raising an eyebrow. "Do you have any solutions for that?"

Buzz went over and pressed the button Delete had pressed. A Cyberportal appeared and sucked all the prisoners in. Buzz knew they'd likely be transported to Gollywood, which was probably the safest place, considering it hadn't been taken over yet. Once they were gone, he exhaled and turned to look at his furious Boss. He was almost scared to let the Boss out, but knew he needed to.

 _Delete, what kind of situation have you left us in? I get that the Boss was being cruel, but was it really worth risking our own lives? Was Digit really worth it?_

Pushing aside his fears, he counted to ten inside his head and pressed the button to release Hacker from his glass prison. He really hoped this wasn't another mistake…


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey there guys! Thank you for supporting me in this thus far and I hope you continue to do so as it's fourth chapter in and only moving forward. I'm also wondering if anyone would be interested in reading a DigitxDelete pairing or if they'd prefer something like Digit/Glowla. Do let me know through your reviews. I would also like to thank **WhiteEevee** for betareading this chapter._

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Reunited At Last**

Since their adventures in Cyberspace, Matt, Inez, and Jackie had grown even closer. They made sure to spend as much time as possible together, both to remember the fun times and to hope and wish for their beloved Digit's well-being. Inez had withdrawn into herself and was always writing. Matt and Jackie guessed she was writing to Slider, but for the last three months, she didn't seem to be doing that either.

Matt and Jackie had become even closer, supporting each other in order to support Inez who had gone so quiet that it would be hard to recognise her as the bubbly and positive girl they once knew. This was why Matt and Jackie were trying to act strong, as hard as it was. The duo had to admit, though they had each other, even one another's presence didn't set their hearts at ease. It made the weight lighter, the knowledge of unity, but it didn't take away the pain.

Then, three months ago, the Cybersquad had stopped checking back with Cyberspace entirely. It was just too hard, knowing Digit wouldn't be there.

At this moment, Matt was out on his farm, gazing up at the sky as he absentmindedly fed his chickens.

"Dige, where are you? Please be safe…" he said quietly. It didn't matter that anyone else would think he was talking to himself; he was desperate. He just wanted a sign—something to know his best friend was still in one piece.

Matt was firm in his belief that he would see Digit again. Nothing would take that away. Three years' time may have understandably shaken his faith more than once, but he was convinced. All the same, however, he missed the bird-cyborg dearly. He still remembered how, in their first adventure, whenever Hacker threatened to make him pay, Digit clung to him as if he would protect him. Like that time when they had saved Solaria, Digit jumped back next to him and Matt wrapped an arm around him to comfort him to let him know they'd never let anything happen to him. But they had. They had let Hacker take him away from them. He hung his head, knowing he had broken that promise.

* * *

Inez was in Matt's kitchen, making green tea for everyone, trying to distract herself. She had had no communication with Slider for the past three months, and that worried her more than anything. Was he alright? She had sent letter after letter, there was no calling system to Cyberspace otherwise she would have tried that as well. She honestly didn't know what could be wrong.

Jackie had volunteered to help her with making the tea, but ended up getting lost in thought instead. Inez sighed, watching her best friend from the corner of her eye. Ever since Digit had been taken from them, it was like a hole had formed in all of their hearts. Despite all of them being together, it was like they were all scattered in their own separate realms of the mind.

It was so strange, how they'd won _and_ lost three years ago. They'd won in the sense that Motherboard was fully cured at last, but lost in that they'd had to let the enemy walk away with a member of their team.

Digit was a part of Cybersquad: Cybersquad consisted of the _four_ of them. Without him, it felt like they were nothing more than individuals, like they were no longer a team. At times, it felt as if he had been the glue keeping them together. They hadn't even known each other before this crazy adventure, but he had kept them together, teaching them how to work as a team.

Inez could only pray that their little friend was all right. If he wasn't... Well, then Hacker would have to answer to her no matter if helped cure Motherboard or not.

Inez finally finished making the green tea when she realised she had filled _four_ cups rather than three. It was a common mistake for the girl, seeing as she often forgot that they had really lost Digit. A tear trickled down her cheek as she poured out the fourth cup and put it back in the cupboard.

The crack in her heart deepened when she glanced over to find a tear-bathed Jackie. It was one thing to suffer oneself, but it was another to watch those around her suffer and be unable to do anything about it. It was the worst feeling in the world. She did her best to push these negative thoughts aside before touching Jackie's arm, giving a minute smile, and handing her the tea-tray.

* * *

Meanwhile, Matt was reclining against the chicken coop, in the process of trying to cheer up a disheartened Widget. He hated to see the little guy so sad; he was so much like Digit it was almost heartbreaking. This was yet another time when Widge was missing his best friend more than usual, and as always Matt reassured him that they'd see Digit again one day. It wasn't exactly lying because the teen was sure he was right—he just wished that time would come soon.

He heard footsteps and peered up to see Jackie and Inez coming their way. Both girls looked as if they had been crying, and Matt's heart gave a painful squeeze. He may have been the closest to Digit, but he had also been trying his hardest to be strong for the girls. He'd been successful for the most part, but it wasn't easy when his own heart was broken.

 _We'll meet again, Dige. I know we will. And if Hacker ever hurt you, he'll have to answer to me!_ Matt swore, taking a sip of his green tea and laying a hand on Inez and Jackie's shoulders, his hopeful eyes meeting theirs.

Inez pulled away from Matt's touch and Jackie frowned at this.

"Inez…" Jackie said softly, and Inez looked down.

"I've had no contact with Slider for the past three months," Inez said quietly. "I'm worried about him. He promised he'd stay in touch. Has something happened in Cyberspace?" She knew maybe she was worrying for nothing, but she had begun caring more for Slider than she cared to admit, and if anything had happened to him, she didn't know what she'd do.

"I'm sure he's fine, Inez," Matt assured her. "Maybe he just got busy." As he drank, he gave Widget some food to munch on, considering the little borg was always down. "You ok, Widge?"

"When are we going to see Digit again?" Widget asked sadly. "I miss him, Matt."

Matt looked down and Jackie touched his shoulder. Inez's eyes filled with tears. Neither of the three knew how to answer that, but they didn't need to. Suddenly a loud noise suddenly distracted them. The trio whipped around at the noise and simultaneously cried out in shock upon seeing Digit and Delete and ran towards them at lightning speed.

" _Digit_!" Matt cried, unable to believe his eyes as the three went to their knees beside their friend.

Exhaustion won out over adrenaline within Delete, and with the cut on his arm still dripping he flopped on his back. Digit opened one black eye weakly and did his best to smile. "H-hey, guys… Good to s-ee ya ag-gain."

Inez bent closer to examine him. "Digit, what did Hacker _do_ to you? What's Delete doing here? H-how did you even _get_ here?" She was so worried at Digit's condition. She had wanted to see her friend again, but not like this!

Matt rested a hand on her shoulder to calm her down as Jackie ran inside to get antiseptic-wet cloths.

"Delete...c-could you…?" Digit requested wearily of his friend, who nodded immediately. The cyboid shifted his attention back to the humans. "You g-guys, you can…t-trust Delete! H-he's the one...w-who helped me es-scape... I-I don't h-have...enough str-rength... H-he'll expl-lain…everyt-thing…"

Matt turned to Delete just as Jackie returned with the medical supplies. Immediately noticing the gash on the robot's arm, the boy took one of the wet antiseptic cloths and wrapped it around the injury, taking another three to enfold Digit's entire body.

"What happened to Dige, Delete?" Matt asked when he was finally able to speak past the horror of seeing his friend in such bad shape.

Delete sighed. "Instead, you should ask what _didn't_ happen," Delete began, eyes fixed to the floor as he spoke. "It was awful. Hacker must have given him more than a thousand beatings over the last three years. He used a spiked club on Digit several times a day, and he never showed any mercy.

"Buzzy and I became Digit's friends, and after every beating, we gave him food, water, and nursed his wounds. He'd tell us how much he missed you guys all the time. He blew into that whistle and looked at that picture of all of you constantly. He kept the yo-yo with him, too, and played with it when he was really feeling low.

"After the first few months, though, he completely shut down. Buzz and I were worried about him, but we didn't want to force him to talk, so we just went along with what he wanted.

"But today, Hacker went too far! He's been mad with power ever since he disabled Motherboard and commandeered Cyberspace! Digit would have died if I hadn't taken that last hit for him!"

By now, Inez and Jackie had tears in their eyes.

Inez couldn't believe how cruel Hacker had turned out to be. She'd always known he was a terrible person, but never to this extent. Beating on someone like that, so harshly and without remorse…it was just too much. A tear rolled down her cheek as she gazed down at the once-cheerful cyboid, whose eyes were now devoid of any emotion at all. It scared her to see his eyes so blank and desolate.

Jackie hugged herself tightly, her frame tense. She hated herself for wishing ill-will on Motherboard earlier, for now the woman she'd always seen as a second Mother was gone as well. As for Digit... His sacrifice had been for nothing, after all…and as relieved as she was to have him back, it still seemed as if the _real_ Digit had died ages ago...

Matt clenched his fists. He couldn't help but feel like he'd failed. If he'd just come up with a better plan back then, Hacker wouldn't be ruling Cyberspace and his cyboid friend wouldn't have had to go through so much pain. The teen promised himself that he would make _sure_ the mad-Borg paid for hurting Digit no matter what it took.

With these thoughts in mind, he took a deep breath and turned to smile gratefully at Delete.

"Thank you, Delete, for everything you and Buzz have done for him, and _especially_ for getting him out of that hell. Speaking of Buzz, where is he, anyway?"

At the mention of his friend, the former henchman peered down at his feet sadly. "He stayed behind to make sure Hacker didn't come after us. I hope he's okay…"

Inez finally managed to regain most of her composure by this time and spouted off determinedly, "He will be. We'll find a way back to Cyberspace, and when we do, it'll be time for _somebody_ to receive some well-deserved payback!" She was angry. No, that was too weak a word. She was furious. Matt wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and Jackie wrapped her arms around both of them. All three were ready and willing to make Hacker pay, both for Digit _and_ for Cyberspace. After all, Digit was definitely a friend worth fighting for.

"That isn't all," Delete added. "Hacker's captured a lot of your friends. Slider, Creech, Shari, and some others. He forced them to watch the beatings and cut off all connections to your world with some device he made."

Inez frowned at this. "So that's what happened. No wonder Slider stopped responding to my letters, he was captured. Are they alright?"

Delete shook his head. "No one's alright in Cyberspace anymore. Not since Hacker took over. But that's not important right now. I couldn't stand seeing Digit in this condition anymore. You're his Earthlies, right? Then help him now."

Matt took Digit from Delete, cradling the bird-cyborg in his arms, holding him as if he were glass, and right now, it seemed as if he _was_ glass because of how fragile he was. "Dige, you ok?"

He knew it was a stupid question, but he didn't know what to say or do right now. Seeing Digit like this was something he had never imagined. He had taken all this for what? For Motherboard to be cured and then completely shut down and Cyberspace taken over by Hacker.

Digit stared up at him as if he were looking right through him. Matt shivered at the look and just held his friend closer to his own body.

Jackie, on the other hand, turned to Delete, tending to his wounds. "Thank you for saving him, once again. You took a huge risk getting him out of there."

Delete shook his head. "Don't thank me. I only brought him back where he belonged, so take care of him, ok? I…I don't want to hear his screams anymore."

Jackie's heart ached upon hearing that. Her eyes watered, but she pushed back tears. _No, no more crying._ She had been doing too much of that, crying and dwelling over what they had lost. She focused her attention towards her friends. Matt was looking lost himself, cradling Digit like a baby while Inez fretted over Slider and how to handle the situation. Right now, Jackie wished she could be in two places at once, but she forced that thought aside and placed a hand on Matt's shoulder.

"Matt," Jackie said softly. "We should take Digit inside. I'm sure he's exhausted from everything he's been through."

Matt looked at Jackie, frowning. "He seems so hurt, Jacks. I don't know what to do or say to make him better. I know what I'm going to do to Hacker, but how do I help Digit heal?"

"Calming down would be a good start," Jackie said gently. "Matt, Inez, you guys need to calm down so we can make a plan like we've always done. This situation is tough, but not impossible. Remember when Hacker took over Cyberspace and replaced Motherboard? He locked us up and we didn't think we could get out of that situation, but we did. We managed to bring Motherboard back and save Cyberspace."

"But Dige was always with us back then, and Slider helped us then too," Inez said. She looked disheartened, and Jackie pulled the girl close, while still keeping a hand on Matt's shoulder.

"I know," Jackie said softly. "Like I said, it won't be easy, but if we stay here and just worry about it, will it solve our problem? Guys, we need to be the hope, both for Digit and Cyberspace. If we fall weak and lose hope, who'll give them hope? Matt, you're the closest to Digit out of the three of us. If anyone can get through to him, it's you, so keep trying. Delete risked his own life and Buzz's to bring Digit back to us. Inez, if you keep worrying, you won't be able to think clearly and help Slider and Digit. So focus on what we need to do next. It's tough, but we can do it." She placed a hand on Digit's head gently. "After all, we're still the Cybersquad and our team is finally complete. Are you guys with me?"

Matt and Inez both stared at her for a moment before Inez rested her head against Jackie's shoulder while Matt wrapped an arm around her with his free arm. Neither of them said anything for a good moment before Matt spoke.

"You're right, Jacks," Matt said softly. "You just reminded us all what's at stake if we give up now."

"We're in this together," Inez whispered. "Let's tilt the tide in our favour." She looked down at Digit. "Right, Dige?"

The other two looked down at their cybird friend. He didn't respond, but Inez thought she saw his eyes flicker with something. She just wasn't sure what.


	5. Chapter 5

_Okay then, here we are with another chapter. Excerpts from the song 'Chiti na koi sandes' have been translated in English to be made use of within this chapter. It's another sad chapter, sorry guys but it will get better eventually. Thanks to **WhiteEevee** for betareading for me. It means a lot and thank you to everyone who supports me more and more with each coming chapter._

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Come Back To Me**

Matt, Inez, and Jackie begged Digit to eat and drink whatever he could handle before showing him the bed they'd made up for him. The grateful cyboid gulped down a morsel and a sip here and there, and then consented to a well-deserved rest.

Though he was asleep within seconds, nightmares still haunted him. He woke up several times that night, and each time the Cybersquad asked him what the dreams been about, he would fall silent with eyes as vacant as the beginning of time. He'd become a Digit none of them recognized.

When it came to be the early hours of the morning Inez and Jackie, too worried to even attempt to sleep again, went outside to clear their heads. The younger girl stood on her head, as she was wont to do when she truly needed to concentrate, while the older girl paced furiously a few feet away.

A wide-awake Matt, on the other hand, chose to stay with Digit.

"Dige, don't you trust me anymore? You can talk to me—to Jackie and Inez, too. We're still a team," the boy reminded gently, trying to smile.

Digit peered up at him, his eyes as blank as ever, without saying a word. Talking hurt too much right now, and if there were one thing he didn't want any more of it was pain. As for the black holes his once-soulful eyes had become…he'd long-learned that emotions only caused trouble—look what they'd put Inez, Jackie, and Matt through all these years—and it was for this reason that he refused to let himself feel.

Matt sighed heavily. He didn't know what to do. He'd been trying to help Digit talk through the memories to allow him rest, but it was like his friend didn't even hear him. Digit's world, it seemed, no longer held a place for him.

Ever since Digit went with Hacker three years ago to protect them, he'd been lost to Cyberspace. This disgusted Matt more than anything. Some heroes they were, powerless to keep their closest friend safe! The Cybersquad, the team that had always triumphed, had been cornered by Hacker when it mattered most.

And now, only one question remained: would they ever get the old Digit back? The friend who laughed with them, who brought out the strangest gadgets to help them when they were in a bind.

 _You must have sighed once_

 _But we never heard it_

 _You might have called us before you left_

 _All the time we have this guilt_

 _Where were we then?_

Though it hurt, Matt couldn't help but wonder: through all the beatings, had Digit called their names? Surely, he must have. The teenager just couldn't get over the guilt he felt. They should have been there when Digit was suffering. They should have been able to stop Hacker from taking Digit. They—they should have been stronger. He should have known that Hacker would want revenge for Digit leaving him for Motherboard, yet still he couldn't stop this from happening.

Digit's raspy stutter snapped him out of these self-loathing thoughts.

"D-Don't blame y-yourself, M-M-Matty. I b-brought this o-on myse-self. 'S my fa-fault." A shiver snaked down the bird-cyborg's spine, and Matt moved quickly over to him, picking him up in his arms.

"No, it's our fault. We weren't there when you needed us." He shook his head vehemently trying to keep his own self-blame and loathing inside him as much as he could in order to help Digit better. "But I promise, Dige, he'll pay for this! He'll pay for hurting you and for taking advantage of us. I...we will never let him hurt you again." He sighed heavily through his nose in an effort to relax, yet truth be told, his cracking voice was indication enough of its effectiveness. "We need to know how you feel, buddy. All we want is for you to open up to us again. Be the Digit we knew."

Matt turned his head away slightly and did his best to compose himself. He was supposed to be the strong one right now, but it was so hard to see his friend so shattered. He'd imagined Hacker to be a terrible captor, but he had far exceeded expectations. Of course, seeing Hacker's actions in the past had shown how cruel he could be, like when he had Wicked cast a spell on Motherboard with the Mean Green, or when he released Cyberstatic into all of Cyberspace.

"The D-Digit you kn-knew...is d-d-dead." Digit wrapped his wings around himself and closed his eyes. It was clear that the conversation was over.

Very gingerly, Matt laid him down in the makeshift bed just in time for a light door-knock. As quietly as he could, he opened the door to see Inez and Jackie standing there.

"How is he?" Inez whispered delicately, not wanting to disturb her friend. The boy sighed, raking a hand through his hair and leaning against the doorframe.

"I don't know… He won't open up at all..." He bowed his head and clenched a fist, venom dripping from his voice. "I swear, when I find Hacker, I'll kill him." Both girls pulled him into a hug and Matt tried to take strength from their very presence in order to compose himself. He was no good to Digit as he was. He didn't want to lose hope, and he wouldn't. Digit meant too much to him, but it stung inside him every time he saw Digit so broken.

 _Memories sting in my heart_

 _The pain doesn't rest and the tears don't stop_

 _Our love is searching for you_

 _How do I say this?_

 _You're not the same_

 _As you used to be_

Inez could remember so many times during their adventures when Digit would come up with amazing ideas to help them solve their missions. He'd always been so positive, always had a smile on his face and a light in his eyes. It always gave her courage that no matter how hard the problem was, they'd figure out some sort of solution.

Now, all of that was long gone…

The three jumped when the sound of a whistle came from inside the room. Venturing in to investigate, they saw Digit shaking and blowing into Inez's old whistle. This brought a teary smile to Inez's face. It wasn't much, but at least it was telling them that Digit was afraid and was using the whistle she gave to communicate that.

Jackie didn't seem to get that though and walked over to him and gently pried it from his grip. "You don't need this anymore, Dige. Matt, Inez, and I can whistle so you won't be scared," she told him and smiled. She wanted to show him he had nothing to be afraid of.

Wrong move.

"No! Please don't! I'm _scared_!" Digit cried suddenly, tone high-pitched and frantic. "Nezzie told me...before he took me, she told me if I'm ever afraid...I can use the whistle she gave me...! Don't take it away, _please_! Take my life...k-kill me...but _please_...!"

His behaviour was so irrational that the kids could only guess he was seeing Hacker in Jackie's place, perhaps flashing back in his hysteria. The girl stared in wide-eyed, gaping disbelief, and Matt and Inez ran forward. The youngest put the whistle back around Digit's neck, and he relaxed almost instantly.

"It's all right, Digit. He can't hurt you anymore, and Jackie, Matt, and I never will. You can _always_ keep this whistle with you, okay?" Inez soothed in a gentle voice, wrapping her arms around him. The cyboid stiffened at the contact, but slowly calmed and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Jackie felt horrible. She had only wanted to tell Digit that they were all there for him, but she had made him even more scared. She hung her head, tears threatening to come out. Matt could relate to that, considering he had felt the same way many times when he had tried to reach out to Digit without any response in return.

"It's not your fault," Matt said, coming beside her and pulling her close to him. "He's just sensitive right now. You were just trying to help." He rubbed her back and was glad when Jackie was able to hold back her tears. No matter how much she wanted to break down, right now, they all needed to be the strong ones.

"Matt's right, Jackie," Inez said, finally looking up from her spot beside Digit as Widget came beside him, curling up next to his partner. "Dige will be fine."

Widget hoped he could somehow bring comfort to his distraught partner. He had attempted to help him, but Digit even flinched from him. He had almost cried when he first heard that, but Matt had reassured him that things would be fine.

From then on whenever Digit had a nightmare, Inez talked to him soothingly, Matt dampened two hot rags for his forehead and neck, and Jackie reminded him that he was safe. Widget just cuddled up to him. That was comfort enough.

* * *

Over the next few days, improvement rates were agonizingly slow. Each day it seemed harder and harder to get back the friend they'd lost. Still Matt, Inez, and Jackie made a vow to each other and to Digit that they would find a way back to Cyberspace to set things right again. Hacker had gone too far this time.

This early morning the sun was shining brightly, and Inez was making Digit and Delete breakfast. The poor cyboid had been stuck to the robot's side like glue since they'd arrived, and truth be told, he seemed to be more comfortable around Delete than any of them. The kids had been hurt, and the machine thrown by this at first, but they understood that this was best for Digit in the long run. Delete had helped Digit a lot after all.

After their friends were situated, the three teens finally sat down to Inez and Jackie's omelettes. Inez took a small bite of hers, chewing thoughtfully. Silence pervaded the small farmhouse dining area; it was clear each one of them was pondering the crisis at hand.

"Guys...I was thinking..." Inez began suddenly, causing the other two to snap up to look at her. "It's imperative that we find a way to Cyberspace." In receiving approving nods from the other two, she continued, "But if we want to restore Cyberspace to its former glory, we'll need a plan. We _can't_ mess up this time."

Frankly, Inez didn't care if she sounded paranoid or not. After all, who could blame her? They'd already failed once, and she didn't want that to happen again. The helplessness they'd all felt in losing Digit, being unable to face Cyberspace until it was too late because of it… She didn't even _want_ to begin thinking about the wasteland Hacker must have made of Cyberspace by now, not only because it was so horrible, but also because they didn't have time to waste on regret.

She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders, and she glanced up to see Matt.

"You're right, Inez. And don't worry, it _won't_ happen again. We won't let it." Matt assured her firmly, and Jackie nodded confidently. They all felt the same way of course.

Just then, Jackie's eyes shot over to Digit, and the others' instantly followed suit to see the animal-machine trembling. Matt was the first to his side, the girls close behind. Frowning concernedly, the ginger-haired boy knelt down beside his friend.

"Dige, what happened?" Matt asked with a hint of desperation in his voice. Maybe the cyboid would open up this time. The girls had repeatedly assured him that if anyone could get through to Digit, it was him.

The timid creature slowly peered up at Matt and their eyes met. The teen felt a chill creep up his spine; there was a plea in his friend's eyes, as if he were silently crying for help, asking the child to be the shelter that would protect him from any further harm. Without another thought, then, Matt bent down and hugged the bird-cyborg. For a full twenty seconds the creature was as stiff as a board in the boy's arms, and the human was all too prepared to let fall the hope he'd gained.

That is, until Digit completely broke down.

Only now did it settle in his mind that he was safe from the horrors he'd overcome, and all his barriers were coming down at once. All the emotions and tears that had been held back for so long bubbled to the surface in a frenzied flurry.

Seeing Digit like this was painful for all of them, but it was still a huge relief to see him open up at last. Inez and Jackie were both misty-eyed, but Matt, rubbing Digit's back gently, kept his own tears at bay. He knew how much Digit needed his strength right now, and he wasn't about to let him down. Not again.

"Matty...? I—I t-t-told him y-you'd make h-h-him pay...f-for hurting me. You w-w-will, r-right?" Digit managed through his tears as he shook.

Inez and Jackie moved to come beside them, but Matt instantly glanced their way and ever-so-slightly shook his head, and both girls backed off, understanding. The teenager grinned at Digit devotedly.

"Of _course_ , Dige. You bet we'll make him pay. He'll regret all the pain he caused you." Matt promised, and Digit smiled unsteadily.

Wanting to give the cyboid the private moment he clearly needed, the boy turned to cut up Digit's omelette for him and was about to feed him when the creature took the fork, skewered a piece of his egg, and munched on it out of nowhere. His way of composing himself without arousing more worry, no doubt.

All the same the kids were content, and Jackie sat down beside Matt while Inez went inside to fetch something. Breakfast wrapped up without a hitch, Jackie talking with Delete to gather more information about the new Cyberspace and Matt speaking with Digit about random nothings to make him feel more at ease.

A few minutes later, Jackie was about to ask Matt if he knew what Inez was searching for, but just then, the youngest ran outside with a stack of papers in her hand. Seeing her half-excited, half-grave countenance, however, Delete was mindful to take Matt's place in talking with Digit, partially to keep his friend's mind off of the more haunting thoughts and memories, and partially to distract himself as well. After all, he still couldn't get over the fact that he'd left Buzzy behind with Hacker. He didn't want to go back and find that his friend had been hurt in some horrible manner because of his reckless actions. He hadn't really thought things through, he had just wanted Digit to be amongst those who cared about him.

Matt was however more interested in Inez's return.

"What are these, Nezzie?" Matt inquired, staring at the papers.

"Don't call me Nezzie!" Inez snapped, sounding so much like her old self that it brought a smile to Matt's face. He was glad to see her spirit back. It was something he had most definitely missed.

"Okay, okay, what's this, Inez?" Matt asked her, trying to keep the playful smile away.

"Before Slider and I lost touch, he gave me certain codes to an emergency portal that Coop instructed him how to use, in case anything ever happened to Motherboard," Inez explained to her friends. "Just maybe we can get back to Cyberspace using that. I certainly hope so, because our friends need us. Motherboard needs us."

Matt and Jackie both stared at her for a drawn-out moment before simultaneously bursting into bright smiles.

"You're a _genius_ , Inez!" Jackie said, a small spark of hope in her eyes that hadn't been present in what seemed like decades. Maybe they could do this after all. Inez returned the smile.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We'll need to crack a code to use this portal, but luckily the information we'll need is all right here." She handed each of them several sheets, which they began reading through immediately; a few minutes in, they traded what few sheets they'd read, and Jackie frowned deeply.

"There's way too much information here," Jackie admitted, exasperated.

"If we could just narrow down our options…" Matt mused aloud, taking out his yoyo and beginning to play with it; no matter how old he got, it always seemed to help him think. Now, however, for the first time it didn't seem to be of any use to him. He just couldn't understand how to sift through what they needed and what they didn't. He had never been the best at organising things and now wasn't any different.

Inez flipped over to stand on her head, hoping to channel her thoughts more productively. All they needed to do was shoot down some potential tactics, but did they really have the kind of time it would take to thoroughly examine every one of these papers?

Before she could come up with an answer, though, she heard Delete sniffle and looked to her right.

"What's wrong, Delete?" she questioned worriedly.

In response, the little robot sighed, not wanting to bring this up, but unable to quell the horrible feeling churning in his stomach. "I'm worried about Buzzy. Hacker's just so cruel, and I…I can't help thinking I should have brought him, too… I was afraid Hacker would try to follow...so Buzzy…B-Buzzy stayed behind to ensure he wouldn't…" Delete said quietly, his eyes filled with deep sorrow and guilt. The one time he had wanted to show some bravery, and even then he'd lost his spine! He should have known he'd never be like the Cyberspace kids, heroes who were never afraid of anything. It was like fear didn't exist within them, like they were somehow protected from it.

The machine snapped out of these thoughts when Digit spoke. "I'm sorry. All this happened because you tried to protect me..." The cyboid looked away, and Delete stared down at the ground despondently. Their aching pain could be seen in every movement, and it tore painfully at the hearts of the trio.

Inez scowled determinedly at the helplessness of her friends. _I won't give up,_ she told herself. _Digit's suffered more than enough, and Delete risked his own life and Buzz's to save him. I owe it to them not to surrender._

Jackie crossed her arms, trying to think of something to say. In the end, though, it didn't matter how long it took, they would figure out a solution. They may have fallen back a few steps in the battle, but in the end victory would be theirs. The right road always seemed impossible, with hurdles at every turn, and having to face losses that would make them want to give up, but it would all work out for the better somehow.

Matt seemed to be having similar thoughts. "Anyone can turn around and walk away. It's the easiest thing in the world," he started, making the two look up at him. "You think it's always been easy for us, being brave? We may seem like heroes, but we're nothing but a bunch of scared kids. When Hacker took Digit and there was nothing we could do to stop it, do you really think we felt like heroes? _You're_ more of a hero than we ever were, Delete."

The android gaped at the teenager. H-him? A…a _hero_? He couldn't explain it, but a giddy feeling built up in his heart and a surge of excitement flowed through him. Of course, as worried as he was about Buzz, he had faith in the Cybersquad and felt inspired by their willingness to go on despite their shortcomings.

Turning to Digit, Matt's smile grew. "And you, Dige: we're all _so_ proud of you!" Carefully he reached out to rest a hand on the cyboid's head. "You kept your promise, taking any pain Hacker gave you." His fist clenched at his side, and his eyes narrowed and seemed to glow. "But now we're going to cause _him_ pain. He'll pay for _every_ _bit_ of emotional and physical trauma he caused you. He's going to hurt as much as he hurt you."

No one had ever seen such rage in Matt's eyes. Jackie grinned lightly, however, kneeling down at his side with a hand on his shoulder, and the boy hugged her, thankful for the release. Just behind them, Inez let her herself down from her headstand. She realized how awkward it was now that her two best friends were so close, but said nothing and simply smiled. There were more important things to think about right now.

"But Matty...I don't know if I can ever face Cyberspace again. I have…t-too many bad memories..." Digit told him ashamedly. He quivered, and the three teens frowned.

Jackie pulled away from Matt and moved forward to try to reassure Digit on her own, but the other reached out for her hand and stepped up beside her instead. Jackie's heart skipped a beat, and for a second she was thrown off. But she shook her head and pushed this thought aside to focus on her friend.

"I know it's hard, Dige," Jackie said, "but don't worry. Matt and Delete will head to Cyberspace to bust out Buzz and hopefully get in contact with Slider, Marbles, T.W., and some of our other old friends. Once that's done, we'll need to go, too." She took his uninjured wing in her feather-light grip. "I know you're scared, but you have to trust us, Dige. We'll keep you so far away from Hacker he won't even know you're there."

Inez moved forward as well, reaching out to hug Digit gently. "We're here for you, Dige," said Inez. "Hacker will have to go through all of us to even lay a finger on you."

"I want to make him pay...but can we? I mean, Hacker's a lot stronger now...Earthlies," Digit whispered, and the three exchanged glances, momentarily overjoyed to hear that playful nickname again.

Matt smiled, feeling a new surge of hope. "He might have gotten stronger, but so have we! He doesn't have power over us anymore," the boy said, sounding more confident than he felt.

"Realistically, though, guys, what do we do?" Inez asked, and Jackie dropped her head into her hands.

"We don't have _time_ for this!" Jackie cried, and Matt rolled his eyes, waiting for the outburst to come. "This is it! Cyberspace is _doomed_!"

Delete and Digit blinked, the latter landing a weak smile, while Matt and Inez sighed at the girl's dramatics, though it _was_ a nice throwback to normalcy.

"Make room, guys. Gotta pace," Jackie warned, waving her hand dismissively, and when given enough room she began her work. The other two kids went back to their chosen thinking methods as well, and a long five minutes passed before Inez sighed loudly.

Flipping upright, Inez straightened her glasses. "I know it'll take longer, but I think the only thing we can do is read through everything. We'll use a marker to cross out what parts of the plan will work for our situation and what won't." She turned to Digit. "Dige, if you're feeling well enough to help, we could really use it." Digit gave a weak smile. "Delete, you can help, too."

Confirming nods received, the papers were distributed equally, and Inez further explained the purpose of Slider's files. With the five of them at work, it didn't take more than half an hour to get it all sorted.

The five quickly moved into Matt's bedroom and switched on the computer. After a few minutes of messing around with some wires and keys, a pink-tinted portal appeared in the middle of the room. Everyone cheered.

Excited beyond measure, Jackie hugged Matt and Inez joined in a second later. Jackie felt both relieved and disappointed that Inez joined. Relieved because her heart wasn't beating at the speed of light, and disappointed…for a reason she couldn't quite place.

A few seconds passed, and Matt cracked open one eye to see if Digit had jumped in like he used to, and when he saw the cyboid hadn't, he inwardly sighed. His friend was recovering, but they still had a long way to go.


	6. Chapter 6

_Okay, so really poor everybody considering everything that is happening and all but don't worry, things will turn around for our heroes eventually. Key word being eventually here but hey that makes it fun._ _ **evil laugh** But either way, thanks to **WhiteEevee** for betareading this chapter even if I almost forgot that today was Wednesday hehe sorry it was a busy day for me due to some real life issues but hey Wednesday is not over yet so I didn't completely screw up. Also, excerpts from the song 'Janaan' have been taken and translated for this chapter!_

* * *

 **Chapter 6: A Destroyed World**

Matt was getting ready to head back to Cyberspace, and he was a lot more nervous than he'd like to admit. But he knew for Digit's sake, they needed to do this. It seemed as if Jackie and Inez sensed his hesitance, for each of them placed a hand on Matt's shoulder.

"It'll be okay, Matt," Jackie said softly. "Just be careful, ok? For Dige's sake." She was more worried about Matt going back to Cyberspace than she liked to admit, even to herself, but right now her personal feelings were not a priority.

"And stay strong, okay?" Inez counselled, tightening her hold on his hand momentarily. She knew how hurt he was that Digit hadn't joined in on their hug.

Delete stepped forward to leave with Matt, then glanced back at his bird-cyborg friend. He didn't want to leave him, but at the same time he desperately wanted to help Buzz. Digit must have sensed his hesitation because he offered a tiny smile and shook his head. Inez wrapped an arm around Digit.

Inez wrapped an arm around Digit. "Don't worry, Delete. We'll take good care of Dige,"

The robot chanced a weak smile and allowed his gaze to rest on his friend for a moment more before he turned to Matt. The two jumped through the portal, not sure what to expect, yet ready for the worst. What seemed an eternity later, they were in Control Central.

Matt's eyes widened in shock. Apple-green vines tied up Motherboard's central operating system's major controls. As if that weren't bad enough, cyberstatic looped all around them. The waste dump this place had become made the ginger-haired boy feel sick to the stomach. Delete's panicked voice snapped him out of these horrifying thoughts.

" _Buzzy_!" he cried, running forward. "Matt, how do we get Buzzy out?!"

The teen hurriedly followed to Buzz, who was unconscious and trapped in what seemed to be Hacker's version of a prison. The pointed, skewer-like bars depicted flame emblems, and between each a two-millimetre wall of flame flickered. Matt gave an involuntary shudder, completely at loss. Hacker truly was a monster...

"I…I don't know, Delete…" Matt muttered, taking an unsteady breath in an attempt to compose himself. He hadn't thought this was going to be easy in the first place, but seeing everything like it was now shook him. He felt helpless and weak, two things he hated. Maybe he couldn't keep the promise he made to Digit after all. He had failed his friend and Cyberspace once, what if he, Inez, and Jackie weren't strong enough to take Hacker down now? Digit had said he had grown stronger...and they hadn't fought him for a while.

The android frowned, seeing the look in the young teen's eyes, and moved toward him.

"Is this all it takes for you to throw in the towel? Honestly, I'm kinda disappointed. After all the stories Digit used to tell us about how brave his Earthlies were..." Delete put his hands on his hips. Matt watched him warily. "But maybe all that really _is_ in the past! Remember what your Jackie and Inez said? Remember the promises all of you made to Digit to make Hacker pay? Were all of those just minute-long reassurances to placate us? Even before all of this started, I admired the Cybersquad from a distance…but what I'm seeing from you now makes me wonder how you ever inspired anyone at all!"

Matt stared at him, the words stirring something inside him. and forming a tightly-layered frown. They _weren't_ failures, and they _could_ inspire people Cyberspace over again—he just needed to pull himself together. Inez and Jackie's desperate faces formed in his mind's eye; he could see Digit pleading with them to make Hacker pay; and he remembered his own words— _"Anyone can turn around and walk away. It's the easiest solution."_

He _was_ taking the easy way out, wasn't he? Yes, things were different now. They were harder. But since when had that stopped them?

He was going to do this— _they_ were going to do this. They would save Motherboard like they always had. Ultimately, they would find a way to make things right again.

He looked down at Delete and nodded decisively, eyes ablaze.

The road to victory was never easy, but that didn't mean it was impossible. Somehow, they'd find a way even if it took the long road.

* * *

While Matt and Delete had headed to Cyberspace, the girls had chosen to stay back with Digit as he was still a little afraid. Digit, however was very uneasy and jumpy, worried most about his two dearest friends. Delete had become very close to him in the time they had spent together and he hoped both he and Buzz were alright as well as his best friend. He and Matt had always been the closest pair in the Cybersquad and even though he wasn't able to open up to him as well now, he still hoped he was doing alright.

"Everything will be okay, Dige," Inez consoled her cyboid friend gently, shoving aside her own worries about Matt and unsurprisingly Buzz and Delete as well. After all, it was thanks to Delete that Digit was once again amongst them and for that, she was grateful. If he hadn't taken a stand for Digit like that, they might have never found out what was happening.

"You don't know him, Inez, Jackie," Digit said in such a soft voice that the girls had to strain to hear him. It was clear he was talking about Hacker. "He's a lot more cruel than we ever thought him to be...he even tried to torture me into gaining information on Motherboard but I blew into your whistle, Nezzie even...though I was so scared, it gave me strength." He shuddered once more, shaking as he recalled the beatings that were given to him. They scared him so much that he ended up whistling after each of the beatings he took to give himself the courage to get back onto his feet.

Inez felt her heart clench so painfully that her eyes watered with tears. She blinked them back, not even having heart enough to scold Digit for calling her 'Nezzie', something which usually grated her nerves. She had always felt Hacker was cruel beyond words but this was too much. He had fallen to a new low and for once the young brunette was glad Matt wasn't here. It struck through her like knives so with how close Matt and Digit were, it would hurt her friend even more. The youngest bent down and embraced Digit, holding him close.

"I'm glad it helped you, Dige," Inez said, managing to choke back her tears to be strong for Digit.

Jackie felt her heart go out to both Inez and Digit, but was managing to keep her emotions at bay. Usually, she'd have a dramatic outburst but seeing Inez almost break down, she knew now wasn't the time and she had to be the strong one. She knelt down besides both her friends, pulling them close.

"It's his time to be scared now, Dige," Jackie stated firmly and sounding a lot more confident than she felt about things. "But he won't have anyone to give him the strength to get back on his feet when we're through with him." She really hoped she wasn't giving false reassurances here.

Inez found the strength and hope she needed in her best friend's words. While Digit's suffering upset her, getting depressed wouldn't do them any good. They needed to rebel against Hacker's evil reign on Cyberspace, save Motherboard and restore her to her former self. They needed to make Hacker pay for all the suffering he had caused Digit to go through. She managed a nod to show her agreement and also noticed that her friend had relaxed into the hug. This was amazing progress! It meant he was finally calming down around them and feeling comfortable around them again. The thought warmed Inez's heart and somehow she knew things would get better eventually no matter how long it took.

* * *

Slider, Shari, Creech and the escapees had gone to Radapolis hiding in a deserted part of it although they knew they weren't really safe here either.

"Is it really safe for us to stay here?" Glowla asked softly. "I mean, Hacker will definitely find us."

Slider sighed a little, rubbing his arm where he had a large gash running down it but tried to ignore the stinging pain that he felt in order to focus on the others. "We have to do the best we can with the situation we have."

"Slider's right," Creech said, making to tend to his arm. "Inez would guide us to being optimistic in order to ameliorate an already hopeless situation. Can you do something about everyone's injuries with your magic, Shari?"

Shari nodded. "I could certainly do that. Professor Stumblesnore, can you help me?"

Professor Stumblesnore nodded and the two of them used their magic spells to heal as many of the escapees as they could after which Slider led them to the garage, closing it from the inside with a security lock.

"I'm hoping we'll be able to keep ourselves safe from Hacker with this," Slider said softly. He knew it wouldn't hold for long but somehow the fact that Digit had been able to take an escape and go back to Matt, Jackie and Inez meant there was hope that maybe now things would take a turn in the right direction. He still remembered the day when Motherboard had been disabled. It had been hell for them all.

" _Help…" was Motherboard's final plea as her hard-drives crashed. The citizens of Cyberspace could only watch helplessly as the light in her eyes died out and she faded from existence completely. Radapolis had been one of the first sites that Hacker had taken over._

" _Dad!" Slider cried as Hacker yanked Coop away from him, throwing him aside as if he was swatting a fly. "Leave him alone Hacker!"_

" _That's 'The Hacker' to you, boy," Hacker said, throwing some sort of darkness attack at Coop, which swallowed him whole even as he tried to defend himself. Slider's eyes widened and he felt as if he couldn't move. No, not again…his eyes watered but he forced the tears back. He wouldn't give Hacker that satisfaction, no matter how much he felt like breaking. He had no idea what Hacker had done to his father but he did know one thing…he was next. But he was going to go down fighting._

" _Are you going to do the same to me? Come on, come get me!" Slider taunted. He knew mouthing off to the enemy was not a smart idea and he could see Inez glowering at him reproachfully for being so reckless but ignored that._

 _Hacker chuckled. "Not a smart idea to mock someone more powerful than you. Relax, Slider. I won't send you to join Coop. Not yet. Being friends with Motherboard's Allstars, I think you deserve the honour of watching how The Hacker outsmarted them in the end." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a fist full of Magnetite and threw it at Slider. The boy tried to scurry away but was hit by a small fraction of it. Luckily, it didn't make his feet big like last time but he found himself immobilized by it. He squirmed, trying to move but found he couldn't. This was definitely not good and Slider had a feeling this was only the beginning._

"Slider, are you alright?" Shari's voice distracted Slider from his own gloomy thoughts of what had happened in the past.

"Y-yeah," Slider replied softly, turning away from her. It wasn't that he didn't like their company or anything, but he wasn't used to being around so many people at once and now it was like he always had to be with them. But he knew it was necessary for the well-being of Cyberspace. "I just wish Inez was here that's all. She'd know a lot more on what to do in this situation."

"If she were here," Creech pointed out. "We would not be in such dire situation and Digit would be a lot better as well."

Slider managed a smile. "Well, she'll be here soon, that I know for sure." Especially now that she would see for herself the condition that Cyberspace was in and how her precious friend had been treated all this time.

"I hope Digit will be alright," Glowla said softly. "It doesn't seem fair that he had to go through so much and in the end, it meant nothing."

Slider frowned at that. "It wasn't for nothing, Glowla. It won't be. Digit's suffering won't be in vein. The Cybersquad will never let Hacker get away with any of this." He hoped that was true. He knew the four of them cared a lot about one another but he had been such a coward when it came to doing anything for Digit. _Nezzie, I hope you forgive me for not being able to protect your dear friend. I'm not as brave as you are, I guess. I'm sorry…_

* * *

Digit sat in the lounge, trying to watch TV as Inez made some food for him. It was hard to eat considering his wounds still stung when he attempted to swallow but Inez was kind enough to cut the food into small enough pieces while Jackie made sure he had lots of liquid. His eyes watered at how much his friends cared. It almost made him remember the happier moments they had shared.

 _In life, there was happiness because of you_

 _Light shone brighter because of you_

 _All my happiness is connected with you_

 _There is no peace anywhere even for a second_

 _Where do I find you now?_

Even though Inez and Jackie were right there, it felt as if they were so far away. They were his friends but he didn't know the meaning of the word anymore. Was he worthy of their friendship when he couldn't even keep his promises? He had given up, he had broken.

"Dige?" Jackie's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Are you alright?"

"Jacks?" Digit said looking up at her from where he was watching TV. "I don't know what to feel sometimes. I'm causing you guys pain aren't I? I'm just like Hacker."

Jackie and Inez exchanged worried glances. Neither girl seemed to know what to say but after a momentary pause, Jackie finally spoke.

"Yeah, Digit," Jackie agreed softly. "Seeing you like this does cause us pain."

"Jackie!" Inez scolded, staring at the girl as if she had grown a second head.

"It makes us think we're like Hacker," Jackie continued as if she hadn't heard Inez. "After all, you abandoned Hacker because you thought he was doing wrong to Cyberspace and escaped to work for Motherboard. You didn't even know how to trust others besides Dr. Marbles and Motherboard. When Motherboard asked you to join us to find Dr. Marbles, we became friends. Best friends. All four of us. And then we abandoned you too. When you needed us the most, we gave up. We didn't fight harder. You always said we were experts and really smart but when we really needed to be we weren't. And now…are we really any better than Hacker when we stepped back and let him hurt you? Of course it causes us pain, Digit. We're just as bad as he is." Jackie's eyes watered, but she forced her tears back. She had been keeping this in for a while since Digit had returned, but now, hearing him like this, she couldn't take it anymore. It seemed as if whenever they took two steps forward, they'd take three steps back. It didn't seem fair.

 _My dear friend_

 _O my dear friend_

 _There is no hope-filled light_

 _Nor any mercy that can be seen_

 _Without you, there is nothing here_

 _The rays of sunlight are too bright_

 _There is no shade to shelter us from it_

 _Wherever you are_

 _That's where I will be_

 _All my happiness is connected to you_

 _There is no peace anywhere even for a second_

 _Where do I find you now?_

Digit didn't know what to say to that, but he shook his head, reaching out to timidly hug Jackie. "No… You're not. That…that picture, the whistle and the yoyo… They made me want to not break. They gave me hope…that I'd see you again… It was my decision, Jackie. I chose…I chose to give up to Hacker's terms. I just… I feel lost, Jackie, Inez. I… I should be in Cyberspace, helping Matty and Delete, but I don't… I feel scared… I don't want Hacker to get me again… Why can't I be brave again, Jackie?" The girl just sobbed and held Digit closer to her, not sure what to reply.

Inez's heart clenched as Jackie held Digit closer and she turned the stove off, hurrying to her friends, not sure who to comfort first. Digit was trying to heal and Jackie was breaking down. Oh, this was not good. This was not good at all! Who was she supposed to comfort when the person who had been her rock for the past three years was breaking down? She exhaled. Ok, she needed to be strong for both of them. They needed her to be.

"You are brave, Digit," Inez began softly. "And even the bravest people get scared sometimes. I'm sure when Hacker infected Motherboard with that virus, she was scared too. And we've been scared for the past three years, always praying that you stayed safe. But our fear is only as big as we let it be. You're right; if we go back to Cyberspace, Hacker will be there, but we'll be right beside you too, Dige. Like Jackie and Matt said, we failed you once, we're not going to fail you again. I know it's hard, Dige, but please trust us?"

Her own eyes almost watered but she forced the tears back because Jackie was still crying and Digit was still a mess. It felt like an eternity, but Digit finally gave a nod.

"Jackie…Nezzie…I'll try…" Digit managed to mutter meekly. "Let's…let's go to Cyberspace."

Inez pulled Jackie into her arms, letting her cry for a few minutes before speaking. "Jacks, we're not as bad as Hacker is. I know we keep failing and Digit is still hurt, but we need to stay strong. When Hacker took Dige away, you and Matt were my rocks and helped me stay strong when I was breaking down. Well, and Slider, of course. Now let me be your rock. I know it hurts, and you can cry. Crying is okay. But we may have fallen down, but we need to wipe away the scrapes and bruises and stand on our feet. No matter how wobbly our feet may seem right now."

Jackie sniffled, managing to stop her tears. "Sorry, Inez… I look like a huge crybaby right now."

Inez managed a weak giggle at that mental image before turning serious. "No, actually, you look human. I'm surprised that you hadn't had a complete breakdown in all these years. I'm here for you, Jacks." She rubbed her best friend's back and held out a hand, allowing Digit to shift over into the hug as well. "Let's face this heavy tide together. We'll all face Cyberspace together once more. Right, guys?"

"Yeah!" Jackie and Digit attempted to put some enthusiasm into it, but it was still weak. Inez smiled at them both. Somehow, she felt even though they had fallen, their wobbly legs were slowly becoming more stable.


	7. Chapter 7

_Hey there guys…so another chapter released and a lot more will happen as the story is moving at a steady rate or at least I hope so. I hope things aren't moving too fast, if they are do let me know and I'll recalculate this en-route that I have planned. Thanks heaps to everyone who keeps supporting me and a huge thanks to **White Eevee** for betareading this for me - this girl is an amazing betareader, I recommend her to any other struggling newbie._

* * *

 **Chapter 7: What Hurts the Most**

Matt and Delete managed to free Buzz by adding in a few security codes, which was basically adding and multiplying even numbers. Luckily, Matt still had his Squack-Pad on him and it helped to solve the problem a lot quicker by laying it out visually. They had Buzz out of his prison within fifteen minutes. Unfortunately, he wasn't as grateful as Delete had expected him to be.

"Buzzy, I'm so glad you're okay!" Delete said happily reaching to hug him albeit Buzz pushed him away. The smile on Delete's face turned into a frown of confusion as he looked at his best friend.

"You're such an idiot, Delete!" Buzz said, harsher than Delete had ever heard him. "Helping Digit has caused us nothing but trouble. We were naive to think we could stand up to the boss. We can't so let's just give him Digit and save ourselves."

Delete couldn't believe it. Digit had become a dear friend to them both over the years hadn't he? He didn't understand how Buzz could be willing to give up on him like that. He may not know much about friendship but he definitely had learnt a thing or two from Digit. The way he had held on for the sake of his three Earth friends was proof enough and their happiness at getting him back.

"How can you suggest that?" Delete said flabbergasted. "Digit is our friend! I won't let him suffer any more, Buzzy! He's been through more than anyone should ever have to go through!"

Buzz frowned, a small part of him did care about Digit but he cared about himself and Delete a lot more than that. Hacker was a dangerous force to be reckoned with and he didn't want to help Digit if it meant getting himself hurt in the process.

"Even he is a friend, he isn't worth enough to sacrifice ourselves," Buzz said gruffly. "Are you helping me get that cybird or am I on my own here? I bet even he," He pointed at Matt, causing his expression of shock to shift to defensiveness. "would give up Digit for his own gain. He didn't try to fight more against Digit's decision to give up to the boss, did he?"

Delete's expression turned downcast and doubt filled his gaze. That was true, the Earth kids hadn't fought too hard against Digit's decision but it wasn't really to save themselves. They had made that sacrifice to save Motherboard hadn't they? Though it had still been selfish on their part considering all Digit had to suffer because of it. He glanced at Matt.

Matt looked alarmed that Delete would even consider that and his fists clenched at his sides.

"I would never give Digit up for my own gain!" Matt snapped defensively. "He's my best friend! I never wanted him to surrender to Hacker and if I could make that day repeat itself, I would've forced Digit to stop from giving up. Dige means a lot to me, Inez and Jackie. I know we failed him back then but that's a mistake we'll never repeat! It was a mistake that I've regretted since the day I made. I just wanted to respect Digit's wishes and last request as he asked of us but I haven't forgiven myself since then. Delete, a true friend may not give up one of his friends but he also tries to do what their friend wants." He hung his head, the day that Digit had went with Hacker, replaying inside his head like a film without sound. He didn't want to cry as that would show weakness but why didn't they understand he never wanted that and he was horrified at the fact that Buzz would sacrifice Digit to save his own skin and technically Delete's as well. He suddenly felt Delete's fingers wrap around his hand.

"I believe you, Matt," Delete said softly. "I don't want Digit to go through anymore pain. I want to protect him for everything. Buzzy..." He turned back to his best friend, his eyes pleading silently asking him not to leave his side. He didn't want the two of them stuck at two ends of a spectrum, it just didn't seem fair. They had been through so much together, between working for the Hacker to even sneaking behind his back when they didn't approve of something he did or when they just wanted to have some fun. "Let's help Digit. He's our friend too, we always helped him after the beatings and I know he means something to you too."

Buzz turned his body away from Delete, not wanting to look into the other's pleading eyes and be persuaded by them. He couldn't do this anymore. He had almost died trying to protect Digit. They weren't even friends, they had just been brought together by the circumstances of the occasion. Delete did mean a lot to him but he couldn't support his own friend in something that was much too life-threatening.

"I'm sorry DeeDee," Buzz said honestly sounding sorry. "But I'm going back to our old boss."

The borg turned around, beginning to walk away knowing if he listened to Delete now, it'd only end in failure. He could hear Delete's wails and cries, his attempts to grab him but he pulled away, walking out of Control Central.

"Buzzy! BUZZY!" Delete screamed, trying to grab his best friend. His hear felt like it was cracking into a million pieces as Buzz just turned around and left. Memories blinded his vision and tears threatened to pour out of his eyes. How could his best friend just do this to him? It was like all the time they spent together, all the moments they shared didn't matter at all. As the sliding door to Control Central shut behind Buzz, Delete felt his legs weaken and he sunk to the ground. No...this couldn't have happened. Buzz, his best friend and dearest companion had turned his back on him without a second thought.

"Delete..." Matt's heart broke for the little Borg and wished he could do something to make the other's pain less but he didn't know how nor did he understand how Buzz could abandon his own friend like that. It seemed the friendship he had shared with Digit wasn't enough to treasure the little bird, something which Matt couldn't wrap around his head. How could anyone want to hurt Digit after all he'd done for Cyberspace? Sure, Hacker had cheated once again to get his way but he wouldn't have hold over Cyberspace for much longer, he would make sure of that.

"Matt?" Delete asked, snapping Matt out of his thoughts causing the boy to look over at him. "I don't understand...Digit was always so loyal to you guys even...though you weren't there when H-Hacker was beating him...why isn't Buzzy..." He hung his head, unwilling to move not sure what to say or do. It was too hard to even think about not ever spending time with Buzz anymore. A part of him wondered if Buzz was being jealous again, like he had when Delete was paying more attention to Gigabyte rather than him. Maybe he felt he was choosing Digit over everything but he couldn't help him. Digit had come to be quite dear to him and he couldn't abandon him now matter what it took.

"I don't know Delete," Matt admitted, unsure of how to guide Delete in something he himself was unsure about. "Dige's always been really loyal to us, and the four of us have been through some rough patches together so I guess that helps. But I guess friendship is kinda tricky at times. But don't worry, we'll fix things I promise. Thanks for defending Digit back there, I'm sure he'll appreciate it." The redhead smiled at the borg, wishing he could do more but comforting wasn't really his forte. He managed to give Digit strength but that was only because they were the closest. He wondered how his friend was doing back there but decided to focus on Delete for now. After all, Digit wouldn't want the one borg who had helped him keep his sanity to be feeling hurt over this.

"Alright," Delete said trying to compose himself and managed to stop the tears that had begun cascading down his cheeks. He couldn't afford to give up now. He had taken a stand for Digit and he'd stick by his friend no matter what. "Let's go find your friends, Matt. We'll need all the help we can get."

Matt smiled a little. Although he was concerned about Delete, he knew the borg was stronger than he let on. If he hadn't been, then he wouldn't have the courage to take such a stand for Digit and get him out of that hellhole he was staying in. He nodded in agreement although wondered how they were going to get there. He voiced this out loud and Delete smiled.

"Don't worry, I have this bike I used to take Digit out sometimes," Delete assured Matt. "Hacker would turn up the temperature in the Wreaker and Digit would begin to suffocate so I'd sneak him out on a bike so he could get some fresh air and then get him back before the boss err...I mean Hacker noticed it."

Matt was astonished. Delete was a lot braver than he had ever thought him to be. Not only had he helped Digit escape but he had tried his all to make Digit's life with Hacker as pleasant as he could. It made him feel guilty once more for not being there for his friend. It should be him doing all that for Digit, not Delete. It should have been him protecting Digit from Hacker's evil reign. Hacker had a lot to pay for and the Cybersquad would make sure he paid for all the crimes he had committed. However, he didn't let Delete see the emotions on his face and simply nodded in agreement. The two of them then headed to Radapolis.

* * *

"Someone's heading this way, Slider!" Creech gasped out and Slider frowned, trying to make out who it was and his eyes widened slightly as he managed to. It couldn't be…but it was.

"It's Matthew and Delete!" Shari said, looking happy to see Matt after so long. It had been awhile and she rushed over to where they were. "Matthew! It's so good to see you!" The boy had changed, he had grown even more handsome over the years although that wasn't much of a surprise considering he had been cute even as a child.

Matt flushed at this as he always did before when she looked so glad to see him back then but knew right now he couldn't focus on that. He allowed his eyes to travel and looked around at all his friends. His heart ached at seeing the scars and bruises he could see on their faces and arms. In Motherboard's absence, they were supposed to look out for Cyberspace but they had been so selfish in their own pain of losing Digit that they hadn't even thought of anything else.

"You guys," he breathed softly. "I'm so sorry you guys had to deal with all this."

"Do you have some sort of plan?" Slider asked a little curtly which was surprising. "I mean, as nice as it is having your sympathies, we really could use a plan right about now."

Matt looked at him but Slider did not meet his gaze. He was almost as distant from him as he was in their first meeting and that was not a good sign. He had begun to open up to them since their missions against Hacker but now he was so closed off again like they didn't know one another at all.

"Slider," Matt said quietly. "Is everything alright? It's not like you to be so distant."

Before Slider could reply, an evil cackle filled the garage and everyone but Matt and Delete gasped as the shield that had been on the place wore off to reveal Hacker and besides him, Buzz standing there.

Matt felt the fury that was in the pit of his stomach rise as he glowered down at the villain who had caused his dear friend so much pain. It took all possible self-restraint to not lunge at the monster with a few punches. To be honest, he wanted but just by taking a look at Hacker, he could tell he had definitely changed.

"Hacker," Matt spat, the venom in his voice apparent no matter how much he tried to keep his voice controlled.

Hacker blinked a little, almost as if caught by surprise that the Earth brat was here but then he simply smirked. "Ah if it isn't Motherboard's old helper…tell me how's the cyberturkey? Is he having nightmares or blowing into that pathetic whistle of his?"

"SHUT UP!" Matt snapped, Hacker's mocking voice made him clench a fist as he thought of Digit's helplessness, his terror, his plea to be protected from this monster that had hurt him. Losing his self-restraint, he lunged forward, not thinking of the consequences and would have managed to get a punch in if someone hadn't pulled him back. Struggling against whoever it was, he squirmed to break free. "Let go of me! He needs to pay for what he did to Digit! I promised Dige I'd make Hacker pay…let me go!"

"Matt, get a hold of yourself!" Slider snapped, yanking him further backwards. "You won't be able to do anything if you get killed!"

"But…" Matt wanted to scream, he wanted to protest that he couldn't listen to any mockery towards his best friend after seeing how much he had suffered however saw a look in Slider's eyes that made him quieten down. There was a similar pain in his eyes and somehow he had a feeling there was more to Slider stopping him than he knew.

Hacker cackled at this. "Listen to Slider, Matt! You don't want to go the same way as Coop do you?"

"Don't talk about Coop!" Slider snapped, eyes practically bloodshot as he glowered at Hacker. Matt understood though and squeezed Slider's wrist now pulling him back to stand beside him. It wasn't completely clear but he got the message that something big had happened to Coop. However, unfortunately right now he couldn't reassure Slider with the enemy so close.

Hacker shrugged. "Whatever. I would suggest not getting in my way, Earth brat and giving Digit back to me quietly. It's for your own benefit." He raised a hand and a net fell on top of Delete. "I, on the other hand need to take my henchmen back and have a few words with him." The duncebucket was going to pay for his betrayal dearly…

Delete's eyes widened and he tried to squirm free, his legs quivering. He knew he would be punished for sure. He didn't regret what he did for Digit but at the same time, he didn't want to be shut down or tortured to the point that he was no longer himself anymore. "Buzzy help me!"

Buzz turned away from him although Delete thought he saw him flinch but couldn't be sure. However, his former friend's answer was clear and that was what hurt the most right now. That his oldest, closest friend didn't seem to care that Hacker was going to hurt him…

"Let him go Hacker!" Matt cried, eyes widening as Hacker trapped Delete. No way was he letting Hacker hurt Delete for defending Digit. But what could he do? There had to be something he could do to help him but there was no way smarts were going to get him out of this one then what could he do? He wished Jackie, Inez and Digit were here, without them, he felt at a loss of what to do but knew it wasn't safe for Digit to be here. _I shouldn't have brought Delete with me either…I have to save him no matter what._

"Oh are you going to stop me?" Hacker mocked him. "With what? Brainpower?"

"Not exactly, Hacker," Slider said pulling out some sort of spray and spraying it. Black smoke surrounded Hacker causing the Borg to be blinded. "Matt, hurry! Get Delete using these safety glasses so you can see through the smoke."

Matt took the safety glasses and hurried but only had time to pull the net with Delete in it to him before the smoke faded away. He didn't even have time to react as Hacker reached to grab them both.

"Stupefy!" Shari cried running forward and shooting a spell at Hacker, sending the Borg flying back even though she knew it wouldn't be enough even as Matt pulled Delete away. "Professor Stumblesnore…we need that portal!"

"It's an old version, Spotter," Stumblesnore said weakly. "It might not work as well."

"Just hurry!" Shari cried, not meaning to be rude but they had a situation here as Hacker had gotten back to his feet. The witch shot another spell in order to keep Hacker busy. Stumblesnore handed it over and everyone gathered around Shari.

"Hurry, Shari!" Matt encouraged, unable to believe he was running away but Hacker was a lot more powerful than they remembered…they definitely needed to regroup and think about this. As Shari pressed the button and they were sucked into the Cyberportal, Matt felt something smash into his side and a rasp of pain left him, cutting through his arm like sharp knives as they landed back at his house. His vision blurred as he looked at the blood dripping from a large gash on his arm and the last thing he heard was Jackie and Inez screaming his name before his world went black.


	8. Chapter 8

_Thank you to everyone who has supported this story so far and I know things are tough for our gang but hey heroes have to struggle to find victory right? I also apologise for the long hiatus and almost wasn't going to continue this story. I'd like to thank_ _ **singertobe**_ _who encouraged me as well as_ _ **destiny chosen**_ _who offered to co-write with me due to my hectic busy life. Another thing this chapter addresses is the parents' of our Cyber trio. By the way, Smith is the last name we both invented for Matt as the last name on Wiki sounds a bit…wrong…I dunno? But either way, this chapter is written by my co-writer,_ _ **destiny chosen**_ _so here we go!_

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Explanations and Concerns**

Jackie's eyes were wide as she took in Matt's condition hurrying over to help Slider lay him down on the couch. His arm was bleeding pretty badly and she had to admit she was glad they had made it out of there alive because it looked like they had a tough battle on their hands. She looked up to see Inez come out with more antiseptic cloths, helping her wrap them around Matt's arm who hissed in pain.

"Ow ow that hurts," Matt whined and Jackie frowned about to say something when Digit waddled over besides Matt and spoke before she could voice her thoughts.

"It's Hacker's turn to hurt now, Matty," Digit whispered, an odd look in his eyes. "It's hard…but it's not impossible."

Matt stared at Digit in surprise and even Jackie and Inez had to gape. It took a few seconds for the three to come out of it and Matt managed a smile, despite his pain.

"Dige…" Matt said softly. "That's right. It's Hacker's turn now." Sure, that would be easier if his arm wasn't killing him due to the gash running down but the fact that his cybird friend had a spark of hope in his eyes was enough to make his own pain at least a little bit less than before.

Digit managed a thin smile, taking an antiseptic cloth and sitting besides Matt. He took some tissues, beginning to work on the wound and looked up at Jackie. "Do you have anything I can use to wrap Matty's arm in bandages?"

"Um, well it is Matt's house," Jackie said thoughtfully. "Matt, where do you keep your first aid stuff?"

Matt instructed her and Jackie managed to find it, handing it to Digit and pretty soon, the cybird had Matt's arm wrapped in a tight bandage and had gotten the bleeding to stop. Everyone was watching as Digit tended to Matt in surprise and a little shock, considering all of them had witnessed the beatings and had seen him break.

"Digit, you look better," Shari murmured, finally deciding to say something. "I didn't expect you to be able to tend to Matthew's injuries."

Digit didn't speak for a moment and Jackie had to send a narrowed glare at Shari. Honestly, talk about putting your foot in your mouth! And Digit was just starting to get better. She was about to say something when Digit spoke.

"I don't want to lose Matty to him," Digit said quietly looking straight ahead but not really at Shari. "I've lost a lot of things in the past three years…my courage, my confidence, my hope…and especially my freedom to be me. I've lost myself but I won't lose my Earthlies." The way he said that last part rung the strongest out of all that he had said.

Inez's eyes filled with tears, Matt rested his free hand atop Digit's head and Jackie couldn't help but beam at the cybird. Neither of the three clearly liked the fact that Digit was still broken but he was slowly picking himself up and learning how to fly again.

"Shari," Jackie said softly. "Please don't be so insensitive. Digit's stronger than you think even if he's been through a lot."

Shari shook her head. "I didn't mean it that way, Jackie. But being Hacker's prisoners…we've seen him break. It wasn't easy watching all those beatings. You've only heard about them from Digit and Delete. Imagine hearing and visualizing it."

Creech placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok Shari. We're all safe now."

"So do you guys want to explain what happened after Matt and Delete reached you?" Inez asked, forcing back her tears that had come and looking at Slider who wasn't looking at her or even at the others, she now noticed.

"We didn't get much of a chance to catch up," Matt admitted. "When Hacker attacked." His eyes flickered with fury. "He seemed so proud of what he had done to Cyberspace and was mocking our loss. I swear, I wanted to jump up and begin punching him but Slider held me back saying I needed to be more cautious. Hacker then started mocking Slider about Coop and Slider nearly snapped as well but didn't do anything. Then…" He glanced at Digit and Delete anxiously, wondering if he should mention this when his friend was barely recovering but maybe it might make Digit feel better. "Hacker tried to kidnap Delete."

Digit's eyes widened a little and he glanced at Delete who managed to give him a shaky smile.

"But we managed to save him," Matt quickly added, sensing that Digit was about to panic. "Shari shot a lot of spells at Hacker to distract him and then we escaped. But…we need a better plan, you guys. Hacker's a lot stronger than we remember him."

Inez and Jackie listened to this while Inez glanced over at Slider. She noticed he was looking down, his fists clenched to his sides and wondered just what had happened to Coop. She wanted to talk to him about this but didn't know where to even start.

Jackie on the other hand began pacing back and forth. "Somehow, it doesn't surprise me. But we've always beat Hacker before with our smarts…however if he's this powerful and we don't have Motherboard to guide us, I'm not sure what we can come up with." She didn't like to think this because Hacker deserved to pay for the sins he had committed against Digit, Motherboard and really all of Cyberspace.

"So that's it?" Slider said colder than anyone had heard him. "This is only how far Motherboard's helpers can come?" He scoffed. "Why don't we just bow down to Hacker now then if you can't help us?"

Jackie raised an eyebrow. "I didn't say that, Slider. I just said things are a lot harder."

"And?" Slider challenged. "Hacker's taken over Cyberspace before and he had all our money? Why didn't you give up then? What's changed?"

"Slider, what's wrong with you?" Jackie said frowning. "I'm trying to think of a plan here!"

"Well, this isn't the way to do it!" Slider snapped, sounding uncharacteristically hostile. Matt narrowed his eyes at Slider's tone while Jackie opened her mouth to retort when Inez quickly stepped in between Jackie and Slider.

"Guys, chill!" Inez cried, before the fight could escalate. "Both of you need to calm down. Fighting amongst ourselves is not the right way to emulate a plan. Slider…this isn't like you. What's going on?"

All anger seemed to immediately melt away and Slider frowned, an expression of misery crossing his face.

"I'm sorry Jackie," Slider's voice shook. "I have no right to talk to you like that. It's just…I think…Hacker might have killed my father." He shut his eyes at the thought and hung his head. "So please don't give up. I couldn't save my father but I don't want you guys to suffer the same fate."

Jackie's eyes widened. Slider's father had been…oh that explained a lot. Her heart ached and she almost felt guilty for snapping at the Borg even if she hadn't known what was going on.

"I won't," Jackie said softly. "I promise, Slider, I won't give up. We'll figure something out no matter how hard things are."

A small, sad smile played on Inez's face as she watched her two friends make up and she glanced at Slider again. Her heart went out to him and her eyes watered at the thought of Coop being permanently erased…no, there must be a logical explanation. Hacker was cruel, but surely he hadn't killed, had he? The Latino exhaled through her nose and focused on the current situation.

"Slider, why don't we head outside and get some fresh air?" Inez said softly. "I think there's enough of us cramped into one room. It's making everyone cranky. Is that ok, Matt?"

Matt shrugged. "Sure, just don't be too long. We need to figure out a plan of action and a place to keep all these Cyber-citizens."

Jackie reached over, yanking Matt's ear. "We'll be fine without you guys. Go on ahead."

Inez smiled at her best friend, before slowly slipping her hand into Slider's as he looked at her, clearly at a loss of what to do. She gently guided him outside because she knew he had held up alone up until now…he had stayed strong for so long since his father's "disappearance" as she would call it for now but not anymore.

* * *

Silence seemed to cut the air between as Inez and Slider walked in the fresh air. The wind blew against Inez's hair and the girl allowed her eyes to close to feel the cool breeze against it.

"Slider," Inez said quietly, opening her eyes slowly to look at the other boy. "I didn't want to ask before because the others were near but what exactly happened to Coop?"

Slider seemed to cringe, face paling and even though Inez squeezing his hand in reassurance did make him feel a little bit better, it didn't change what had happened. "Hacker had started taking over Cybersites. Once he took over Radapolis, we knew it was only a matter of time before he attacked us and he did. I tried to send you a last letter but I never got any replies…I'm not sure if Hacker did something but I couldn't get in touch with you. But yeah…Hacker attacked us." His voice shook. "He did something to Dad, Inez. It was some sort of black hole or something but he threw Dad into it and said Dad was gone forever." He hung his head, a few tears trickling down his cheeks.

Inez could not bear seeing her usually strong friend so weak and broken so she decided to follow her instinct and pulled him into a hug like she had done so to Jackie moments earlier only this time, the hug sent a shiver down her spine, as well as making her heart skip a beat when Slider buried his head into her shoulder blades. Being this close to him reminded her of the crush she once had on him as a child but she pushed that thought aside. That was not important right now.

"Oh Sli," Inez murmured, wishing she could do more than verbal reassurances but they would have to do for now. "I know it seems like your father may not be alive anymore but there's no proof saying that's true right? I know it seems hopeless but we're not giving up. We're going to find Coop again, Slider. I have firm faith in that."

Inez sounded so confident that Slider wanted to hang onto every word she was saying and believe it to be the truth like a child clinging onto his last piece of hope.

"How…how can you be so sure?" Slider murmured softly and Inez smiled.

"Remember when I was sad about us losing Digit?" Inez reminded him. "You told me that I would see Digit again one day and I wasn't exactly too optimistic on that myself but you gave me courage that one day we'd work things out and now we have Digit back. Sure, he's changed and is emotionally damaged a lot but as long as he's here then we can work with him to heal him. That's how I can be so sure. I know right now, it seems like you'll never see Coop again but sometimes what you see isn't always what's the truth. Our eyes can deceive us once in awhile. You'll see Coop again. I won't stop trying to find him."

A few more tears rolled down Slider's cheeks but he managed a shaky smile. "Thanks Nezzie."

"You're welcome," The girl replied, somehow not minding it when Slider called her Nezzie. The two of them stayed there for awhile, neither feeling like pulling away from one another.

* * *

Jackie was pacing back and forth trying to come up with a plan to try and find a solution on saving Cyberspace from it's demise.

"There has to be a way to figure out how to stop Hacker," Jackie said frowning. "Ok what do we know?"

"We know Hacker's a lot stronger than he was before and has weird powers," Matt said softly. "Powers that can quite possibly kill us. But then again, it's not like our lives weren't in danger back then, it was just a different kind of danger. Hacker has always wanted to eliminate us because we've tried to protect Motherboard."

"But he's never been this powerful, Matthew," Shari pointed out. "Hacker has conquered Cyberspace and everything is under his control."

Jackie put a hand to her chin. "Even so, there must be something we can do…" There had to be a way, some sort of solution they could reach, they always had before but now the answer didn't seem so simple anymore. "Oh if only Motherboard were still around…wait a minute! Motherboard isn't around but what happened to Dr. Marbles?" She couldn't believe no one had thought of this up until now – was she supposed to think of everything?

"No one knows," Creech said frowning. "As soon as everyone heard Motherboard was disabled through Hacker's bragging, no one's seen Dr. Marbles since then...there have been rumours though that he fled to save his own life."

"No way!" Matt and Jackie said together before looking at one another in surprise. Digit gave a weak smile at this but said nothing.

"Dr. Marbles cared a lot about Motherboard," Matt continued, clenching a fist. "There's no way he'd ever abandon her."

"There must be a reason for him disappearing," Jackie agreed with Matt. "And once we search for the reason, I think we'll find Dr. Marbles."

"Oh really?" Another voice said coyly, a voice all too familiar to Matt causing the ginger boy to pale. Jackie also seemed to freeze as the two teenagers turned to come face to face with Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

"Mom?" Matt said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly although his insides squirmed on how he was going to explain this one as he looked from his mother to his father. "Dad? Hi what's up?"

"That's what we'd like to know young man," Mr. Smith said and Matt gulped as Digit moved a little closer to him. Oh boy, as Inez would say this was not good at all.


	9. Chapter 9

_Hey guys! Okay since this one is written by me so I hope co-writing will allow this story to still flow well as it did before. Besides, it's thanks to this collaboration that I'm able to finish this anyway so I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter 9: For the Greater Good**

Matt seemed to pale, unsure of what to do and even Jackie's squeeze of comfort didn't make him feel any better. This was the worst possible situation they could ever find themselves stuck in and they had found themselves in plenty tight spots before. To be honest, he didn't know where to even start but as Digit clung closer to him, it made him tighten his resolve.

"Mom, Dad, I can explain this," Matt said softly and more firmly than he had thought himself to sound in a situation like this but Digit's fear reminded him what was at stake and all that his friend had been through. "But why don't we call Jackie and Inez's parents over too so we don't have to explain it more than once?"

Jackie gaped at Matt as if he had grown another head or something – she did not feel comfortable about telling her parents about Cyberspace especially since there was a risk of them not letting her save it. "Matt, what are you…" The other didn't answer, just squeezed her hand and she bit her lower lip. She just hoped Matt knew what he was doing.

"Trust me," was all Matt said in reply to her as Inez and Slider walked in, holding hands.

Inez's eyes widened as she saw Matt's parents. "Oh. This is not good. This is not good at all."

"It's okay, Inez," Matt said softly. "We might have needed to tell our parents anyway if we're going to save Cyberspace this time…it's not the same as when we were kids. Things are different, we're different, Cyberspace is different."

Mr. Smith frowned. "Very well then. We'll call over Inez and Jackie's parents as well." He went to make a phone call.

"Matt, are you crazy?" Inez asked. "This doesn't seem like the right decision to go with right now. I understand you're worried…"

"No, Inez," Matt said firmly surprising both Jackie and his own mother. "You didn't see Hacker back there. I did. We can't afford to screw up this time. We let Digit down once. We let Cyberspace down once which is why we're here. I know you and Jackie are scared to tell our parents everything but we have to. Not only because we've been caught but because this may be the biggest fight we've fought yet. We can't keep them in the dark. Not this time."

Jackie and Inez exchanged a glance as they both took in Matt's words. In all of their adventures, neither girl had heard Matt so serious before because he usually had been the more impulsive one.

"Alright," Jackie finally agreed. "Maybe telling them is the best idea but what if they don't let us go?"

"We're Motherboard's helpers," Matt said softly. "We won't stay back no matter what our parents say. That I promise you." He looked at his mother's stern gaze at his words but for once, didn't even flinch. They were going – they had to.

* * *

Jackie still wasn't sure if this was the best idea or if Matt was just being impulsive as usual but she had a feeling he had never been more sure of anything in his life. Once all their parents were gathered, they began explaining the story. Matt started them off, with Inez and Jackie chiming in whenever they felt a need to add to the story. Digit didn't chime in, just remained hidden behind Matt.

"And then three years ago," Matt finally said. "We finally had the Encryptor Chip but Hacker cornered us and Buzz and Delete snatched it away before we could do much. We tried to get it back when Hacker offered us a deal." He trailed off, subconsciously pulling Digit close.

Inez's eyes watered and Jackie looked away, remembering how hard that day was on all of them. It was the day they had apparently won but really lost because Hacker had outsmarted them in the end.

"What kind of deal?" Mrs. Jamis, Jackie's mother spoke up. None of the adults had spoken during the story up until now because they were all stunned that their children had managed to keep such a large part of their lives hidden from them.

"That Hacker would give back the Encryptor Chip if I went back to him," Digit spoke up, seeing how hesitant his friends were to say it. "Matt, Jackie, Inez and even Motherboard protested that they would find another way but Motherboard had suffered enough and I didn't want us to waste anymore time if Motherboard could be cured then and there."

"So you gave yourself up?" Mrs. Garcia, Inez's mother said reaching out and pulling Inez close because she looked ready to cry.

"Digit gave himself up and we returned to Earth," Jackie took over, even though her voice cracked. "Inez pulled away from us, secluding herself to isolation while Matt and I became closer, trying to support one another. It helped a bit but all of us still missed Digit so much. Then one day, he appeared out of thin air, it seemed. He wasn't the same Digit we knew though. Can you tell?" She had lowered her voice to not hurt Digit's feelings although she needn't have bothered to since Digit was staring deep into the picture of the four of them and not really paying attention to much else.

"From your stories, it does seem something has changed," Mr. Smith finally said after glancing at Digit. "But from what you were saying earlier, it's a lot more dangerous in this Cyberspace then it was three years ago. You can't go back."

"That's why we're not rushing back to be honest," Inez said, after finally managing to compose herself. "But we can't send our friends back either. Cyberspace is dangerous for them so we want to keep them with us in the real world until we can all go back. Until we're ready to take on Hacker and defeat him for good. Jackie and I weren't sure if telling you was the right idea but I think I understand why Matt wanted us to. Mom, please don't stop us." Her father had left her when she was a child so it was just her, her Mom and her cat Kiko.

"Besides, even if you say no, we are not abandoning Digit again, no matter what," Matt said firmly. "Or any of the others for that matter."

"Matt!" Jackie scolded. "I'm sorry Mr. Smith, Mrs. Smith, he's just…"

Mr. Smith chuckled a bit. "He's stubborn like his old man. Elaine what do you think?"

Elaine sighed. "I'm worried. This is dangerous. But…" Her gaze shifted to Digit, who her heart went out to as he had begun blowing on the whistle softly. "Your friend needs you. Just please be careful and if there's anything we can do…"

Matt smiled softly, beaming at both his parents. "Well, our friends do need a place to stay so if we could keep them here since it's the biggest of all our houses and all."

Elaine hugged Matt close. "Of course. They're most welcome to stay here."

Matt sighed in relief, before his gaze drifted to Jackie's mom and dad. He hoped things would turn out as well for her as they had for him and Inez.

* * *

"Absolutely not, Jacqueline," Mrs. Jamis said fiercely. "I couldn't bear the thought of never seeing you again."

"That isn't going to happen," Jackie said firmly. "Mom, Dad, please trust me. Like Matt said, I'm going to go anyway but I won't be able to have a clear conscience helping my second home if I don't have my parents' blessing."

"You don't even know what you're going to do yet," Mr. Jamis reasoned, trying to get her to see her mother's logic.

"Which is why we're staying here to figure out a plan of action, Dad," Jackie replied, just as logically. "Matt, Inez and I can't afford to be impulsive again, not just because it's dangerous but because we've screwed up enough. Cyberspace is counting on us." Her eyes watered. "Motherboard needs us. Me. So please…give me your blessing."

Mr. Jamis sighed, hugging Jackie close. "You have my blessing, kiddo, always."

Mrs. Jamis scowled, eyes watering. "Oh sure, make me the bad guy." She stormed out of Matt's house and Jackie winced. She knew her mother was just worried but she really hoped she would come around about it.

"Dad…" Jackie began but her father cut her off with a smile.

"I'll talk to her," Mr. Jamis assured, kissing her forehead before heading out after his wife.

Jackie nodded, biting her lower lip and hoping that everything would be okay. She tried to smile as Matt and Inez came over to her.

"You ok?" Inez asked her best friend concerned.

"Yeah," Jackie said softly. "Dad's okay with it…Mom's a little worried. How's Dige?"

"He's lapsed into one of his silences again," Matt admitted, glancing at the cybird worriedly as Delete tried to unsuccessfully get him to talk again.

"You sure your mom will be okay?" Inez asked, feeling Jackie needed a bit of support right now as well and Matt was too clueless to realise that.

Jackie managed a weak smile. "I hope so. I know I won't stay back either way but it'd be nice to have her blessing. It'd ease my conscience a bit. I hope Dad can talk to her and help her understand to be honest."

Inez squeezed her best friend's shoulder. "She will, hopefully. We're both here for you Jacks."

Matt squeezed Jackie's other shoulder supportively with his uninjured arm. "Yeah, she'll come around, don't worry. My mom's worried too but seeing Digit's condition softened her at how much our friends really do need us."

Jackie was grateful to have her best friends by her side because she didn't know what she would do without their support. She rested her head against Inez's shoulder, only looking up when Delete moved over to them.

"Digit's gone really silent again," Delete said worriedly. "He won't even respond to me. All he's doing is blowing into the whistle you gave him, Inez."

Inez frowned at this. "He's scared…but of what? He was starting to recover…"

Matt pulled away from Jackie, moving to Digit's side. "Dige, what's wrong?"

Digit blew into the whistle, although began coughing because he wasn't stopping to breathe.

"Guys, whistle," Inez said suddenly and her, Mat and Jackie began whistling and slowly Digit calmed down enough to talk.

"Before the beatings," Digit said shakily. "Hacker would gather everyone around to make them watch. There was a lot of people then too…I don't want everyone here to see how helpless I was. I dun't wanna be helpless again, Earthlies. I'm scared."

Matt ceased his whistling but motioned for Jackie and Inez to continue so Digit would remain at ease. "It's okay, Dige. We're not going to let that happen…ever again. He's the one whose going to be helpless now and we'll make sure everyone in Cyberspace is watching." He pulled Digit into a hug and the cybird slowly began to relax again into the hug, sniffling a little even as Jackie and Inez ceased their whistling and joined the hug.

"We won't let you go," Jackie and Inez chorused together. The four of them stayed like that for a few minutes after which Matt's parents brought out food for the four of them.

"Here," Elaine said kindly. "Eat up. You'll all need your strength to think."

Matt smiled, taking a bite out of his sandwich. "Thanks Mom. I have no idea where to even start though. How are we going to get more powerful?"

"The Doc was searching for something on Earth," Digit mumbled, munching lightly on his sandwich. "Some kind of power orb for the chosen ones."

"The chosen ones?" Matt, Jackie and Inez asked as Slider and Creech came to sit beside them since they were the only ones who hadn't gone to sleep in their new rooms other than Delete who couldn't seem to sleep either.

"I've heard of that story," Slider said softly. "Apparently, the chosen ones were beings who could control different elements. They fought in the great war of Cyberspace as allies of Motherboard when she was human and Dr. Marbles. Hacker and the rest of us didn't exist yet. My father was only a teen at the time himself when the great war happened. The chosen ones fought hard with their powers but sacrificed themselves in the war to stop the powers of the Great Evil, Meredith."

"What happened to those powers?" Inez asked curiously.

"No one knows," Slider said shrugging. "Some say they disappeared, others say they're still out there somewhere."

"The Doc thought that Hacker might've absorbed Meredith's powers somehow," Digit told his friends. "It's how he gained so much power."

"Hacker did absorb something," Delete chimed in. "It changed him. He stopped boasting about himself and became colder, crueler, his only goal to dominate all of Cyberspace and show the citizens his power through…" He trailed off but the teens understood. The beatings Hacker had given Digit were a warning to everyone in Cyberspace who ever tried to oppose him so no one would dare try.

"If he did absorb Meredith's power," Slider said softly. "Then it means the other elements actually might still exist."

Inez was trying to hold back her fury at Hacker by taking another bite out of her sandwich and focusing on what they could do. "I see. If we could somehow locate those elements, we may be able to absorb the powers and stand more of a chance against Hacker."

"But we're not the chosen ones," Jackie pointed out to her best friend, frowning.

"You don't know that," Creech said softly. "That's up to the elements. If they choose you, then you guys are the new Chosen Ones in this war."

"If that's true," Matt said, a smile forming on his face as he took in this new information. "Then we're back in business and Hacker's going down."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Jackie said with a small smile before turning to Digit and Slider. "How are we going to find these powers though?"

"I can try and remember the codes the Doc used," Digit offered quietly. "But I'd need a computer."

"I have one in my room," Matt replied. "Okay, gang then let's get to work!"

"Yeah!" Everyone else chorused their agreement.


End file.
